March of the Inevitable: An Oath of Stone
by SpartAl412
Summary: While on a quest of retribution against a tribe of Ogres, a Dwarf Engineer finds herself by mishap, sent towards a world different but also quite similar to her own. The Engineer's fate will become entwined with that of an exiled princess, sentenced to death for a great crime. Their meeting will set in motion, a chain of events that will determine the fates of two worlds.
1. Ungdrin

**Reminder: Just like the rest of my crossover stories, An Oath of Stone is of a separate continuity in regards to the non-crossover stories, especially the Oaths and Grudges series. This chapter will have a bit of dialogue from the game. Feel free to also check on Blood of the Phoenix which is part of the same series along with other stories. (Expect editing over time)**

* * *

Thunder echoed within ancient corridors of stone as fires raged and the darkness that had once filled the place were banished. Roars of rage and agony soon followed the sound of thunderous noises as large burning bodies stepped out from the blazing infernos. Their flesh melted like wax as the fat underneath further fed the flames and a smell that was deliciously akin to roasted pork began to fill the caverns.

Hunger filled the bellies of Groth Stonemaul and his Maneaters as they inhaled the aroma of cooked ogre flesh which also would have been just as good, raw and bloody. The burning ogres which had been caught in the devious trap moved towards them with arms outstretched and their voices was ruining Groth's concentration. Pulling out one of his Ogre-crafted pistols, the Tyrant aimed the heavy gun at one of the unfortunate ogres and he blew out the brains of one while the others used their swords or clubs to cut down their fellows.

For two days, something had been killing the warriors of the Rockgut Tribe and no one had any idea what it was. First there had been reports of Gnoblars going missing but it had been dismissed by Groth for the runty little things were always either murdering each other, getting eaten by his ogres or engaging with all sorts of mischief that often resulted in one of them dying. Then came the reports from the ogre raiding parties who been sent out about deadly traps that were placed along the cave's entrance which resulted in a few fatalities and several injured warriors.

Now the caverns had become a deathtrap with each corridor and tunnel hosting a deadly array of waiting death. Some of the other ogres had begun to whisper of evil spirits inhabiting the cave which had once been an orc stronghold. Groth did not believe in such superstitious tales or at least, it was he wanted for his followers to believe.

He swore to the Great Maw then he found whatever was setting all these traps, he would make it watch him eat its limbs first. The thought of eating made his stomach grumble for all he had to eaten in the last day was Gnoblars and fallen warriors. What especially made their situation worse was that the passage into the chambers which had been converted into the kitchen and storeroom had also been booby trapped.

Groth understood well enough that without the food they had stored, his ogres would quickly consume their personal stashes before turning on the Gnoblars and then each other. The fires continued to burn for a few moments before slowly dying out but the damage it had caused was already done to their already dwindling numbers. Where once they had numbered around three dozen ogres, there were now only six (including himself) who remained in any proper condition to fight while the injured would most likely become meals if they did not heal up soon.

'Get those torches blazing!' roared Groth in their native tongue of Grumbarth as darkness began to surround them again and a trio of ogres stepped towards the dying fires while each one carried a log of wood which had been smeared with flammable oil.

A loud clack suddenly resounded through the darkness and one of the torch bearers, Morog suddenly had his chest explode with smoke and fire. Seared meat rained upon the gathered ogres as Morog fell back and another pair of clacks rang out, resulting in the deaths of the other two torch bearers. The remaining ogres began searching the darkness for whatever had shot their kin but unlike other races such as the greenskins or the skaven, they were not capable of seeing in the dark.

Once more they were plunged into darkness as the acrid stench of spent gunpowder filled their lungs and Groth began bellowing out a mixture of threats and orders to keep the rest of his warriors in line before an bright light suddenly began to shine in the darkness. Much to the surprise of Groth, he saw that standing before his warriors was a short figure clad in a stone grey cloak and a gleaming suit of chainmail armour and a sword sheathed on one side of its waist. Green eyes looked towards them with an expression of contempt and disdain as a lamp was held up in one hand and in the other, a black metal ball with a small piece of burning rope on one end.

'You bastards stole from the wrong dwarf!' shouted the cloaked creature in a surprisingly feminine voice before hurling the object which Groth quickly recognized was a bomb.

The Ogre's eyes widened with surprise as the metal object flew towards him and he tried to draw his second pistol but as soon as the gun cleared its holster, the bomb exploded in a cloud of intense heat that quickly burned Groth Stonemaul and his ogres as horribly as the ones he had just been forced to mercy kill.

* * *

Watching in grim satisfaction as the ogres were set ablaze from her Drakefire grenade, Vanyra Skorrisdottir set down her runic lantern and she quickly pulled out her repeater crossbow which was also imbued with Rune Magic. Taking aim at the burning Ogres, she unleashed a volley of steel-tipped bolts towards those who drew closer to her; each bolt was imbued with the magic which had been placed into her weapon with some even carrying miniature explosive charges at the tip. Emptying the entire magazine upon the brutes, the Dwarf Engineer felt good to watch as the rest of them were cut down as easily as goblins.

As the last of the Ogres died with its body smoldering into charred meat from the flames, she began to cautiously survey the corridor to see if any of their _grobi_ slaves were also about and soon found the area to be clear for now. Hooking the runic lamp to the side of her belt and deactivating its illuminating magic, the Engineer cautiously moved back towards the tunnel behind her while loading a fresh magazine for her crossbow. It did not take her long to find her way back to the ogre kitchen which she had booby trapped with explosive mines.

The tunnel that connected to the kitchen was filled with the smell of meat, both fresh or rancid as well as the faint scent of spices which no doubt would have been pillaged. She tried not to think too much about what they had butchered and cut up there, considering the voracious appetites which the _Ogri_ had. When she entered the kitchen, it was just as she had last left it, a dark, torch-lit place where several bloodied carcasses hung upside down, some of which of which were clearly human and a great iron cauldron inlaid with ogre religious symbols lay within the center.

The body of a somewhat mutated ogre shaman she had earlier slain still lay in the same spot and riddled with bleeding shrapnel wounds from a Cinderblast Bomb she had used. Adjacent to the kitchen was another chamber where the Ogres had kept some of the "fresher" meat which was her destination. Inside, she could hear the terrified braying from her pack mule,_Got_.

Cursing herself for what seemed to be the hundredth time for becoming careless enough to allow the _grobi_ to steal the mule, what truly vexed her was that they had also taken the which_Got_ still carried. She was especially in a foul mood due to the sheer mount of explosive devices and ammunition which she had later been force to use against the ogres. She decided that before leaving, she should set off a few charges and cause a cave-in as payback for the inconvenience towards her.

She found crude pens and cages of rusted iron which smelled of animal excrement which lined up the walls of the storeroom where only one living thing remained. Moving to the cage where she had earlier spotted her mule, Vanyra was relieved to see the various items it carried were still there, amazing really that her mule had yet to be devoured.

'Come on, lets get you out of there' said the dwarf as she stowed her crossbow upon her back and reached for the cage door. She then opened the cage where her mule was held and she heard the screeching of metal which hurt her ears. _Got_ stepped back in fear while making braying sounds and Vanyra did her best to calm the faithful pack animal that had accompanied her since the beginning of her travels.

After a few moments of soft shushing and whispers, the mule became less agitated as she went towards the pack it carried and pulled out a carrot from a bag filled with produce which she then gave to _Got_. Soon leading the mule out from its cage, Vanyra cautiously moved back into the kitchen with one hand on _Got_'s reins and the other tightly clutching her wrench. The Engineer's mind became occupied for she began to remember all of the traps she had been setting and the time she would need to disarm and reclaim the ones which still remained.

A sudden chill then began to run down her spine as she heard a deep, gurgling voice speak in a foul tongue which she had grown familiar enough in her journey to know that it was a sorcerous speech. Quickly casting her gaze towards the Ogre Shaman, she saw the obese brute chomping down on some raw meat while casting a spell at the same time. Quickly dropping her wrench and reaching for one of her last remaining Drakefire grenades, the Engineer primed the explosive and hurled it at the chanting spell caster before the ground beneath both herself and her mule collapsed.

Shouting in surprise while a terrified braying from _Got_ followed her, Vanyra saw walls of sharp teeth surrounding her and a glowing blue azure disc of light which materialized below her. Chain links sprang out from the disc, wrapping tightly around both herself and her mule and pulling them towards it like a kraken holding on to a ship. The next thing that Vanyra Skorrisdottir knew was that she had ended up in hell…

* * *

**ACT I: DUNKEL UNTEN**

* * *

How did it come to this? was the thought which bothered Sereda Aeducan as she sat within her cell. Just the day before, she had been the crown jewel of Orzammar; the crowds had cheered her name in the Proving Arena, the merchants had offered their wares with great discounts and a grand feast had been made in honor of her name. Now here she was, in a prison cell dressed in clothes fit for a peasant and for sleeping, she there was a filthy pile of hay nearby along with rather quite grimly, a pile of moldering bones which lay close as well, probably the last unfortunate dwarf who had been placed here.

Honestly though, Sereda knew why she was here but she could hardly believe it. Her eldest brother, Prince Trian had been murdered by her youngest brother, Bhelen who had manipulated events to make it look as if she herself had done the deed. It was not the fratricide that made it hard to believe for, such a thing was common and quietly expected in Orzammar's courts and indeed, she herself was planning on eventually having her brother meet an "accident" along the way.

What truly made it hard to believe was that Sereda herself was outplayed by Bhelen who she did not suspect was even capable of such plots, more so, the ability to pull one off that would result in a "two nugs, one stone" scenario. She was conflicted over whether she should feel admiration or anger towards her younger brother and she swore that if she ever saw him again, she would stick a sword down his throat. She then heard a pair of voices coming from the corridor which led into the prison and one voice which she immediately recognized had quickly filled her with a measure of relief and dread.

Moving towards the iron bars of her cell, Sereda saw two dwarves walking towards her cell, one was a bald headed and beardless guard while the other was a handsome, brown haired and bearded knight of the warrior caste whom she knew all too well to be her Second, Gorim.

'Of course, leave us alone will you please?' asked her Sereda's Second towards the guard who nodded and went off towards the doorway while Gorim himself went towards her cell and stopped in front of her to simply say 'my lady… I would have come sooner had they allowed it. How are you?'

A slight smile was etched upon Sereda's lips as she saw Gorim who was perhaps the closest friend she had in Orzammar and perhaps even more. Doing her best to still speak in a composed and regal manner, she then replied 'I was worried for you.'

'And I for you my heart, but I bring little but bad news though' Gorim then said and Sereda was fairly sure that she would not be too happy to hear it. 'Bhelen has taken Trian's place in the Assembly' continued her Second 'He introduced a motion to condemn you immediately, and it easily passed.'

Gorim paused for a moment with a look of disbelief on his face which Sereda herself could not help but feel the same way about as well. He then continued to speak 'He… had fully half the Assembly ready to vote on something completely against tradition and justice!' Gorim then shook his head and added 'He must have been making deals and alliances for months, if not years'

Once more, Sereda began to curse herself for not bothering to pay attention towards Bhelen for in the years of playing the games of intrigue; she had always considered Trian to be the one to look out for. With a sigh of resignation, she then replied to her Second 'you have to respect Bhelen's ability to play the game.'

Gorim gave her a somber nod for surely he would have been as surprised as Sereda was in the matter and he said 'He's more clever than either of us ever thought, some of the lords, especially Harrowmont, are suspicious of Bhelen's instant rise to power.' A brief flicker of hope filled the heart of Sereda who always liked Lord Pyral Harrowmont as an uncle-like figure but soon that small spark was extinguished when Gorim continued 'They are rallying, but far too slowly. The Assembly has already sentenced both of us…'

Knots of fear for both herself and Gorim could be felt within her stomach as she heard that last part and she could not help but ask in a voice that was full of concern towards her Second 'what's going to happen to you?'

Gorim's response surprised her for his tone was one resigned to whatever fate would befall him. 'My knighthood will be stripped' Gorim then said calm with a measure of sadness 'my name torn from my family records… but I will be allowed to attempt some sort of life on the surface.'

Sereda gasped at such a sentence which seemed so unjust and cruel for like her, Gorim was innocent of the crime they were accused of. To be stripped of his Caste, exiled to the surface and stricken from the Memories maintained by the Shaperate would mean that he would no longer be accepted by the Stone. It was a cruel and horrible fate, for one who was so loyal and it filled Sereda with a sense of anger and vengeance towards her younger brother.

'Lord Harrowmont moved for a similar exile for you' Gorim then said but the way he spoke did not fill Sereda with much hope 'but Bhelen's supporters overwhelmed him.' He then sighed with a profoundly sad look on his face as he looked Sereda in the eye and said 'you're to be sealed in the Deep Roads to fight the darkspawn until you are overwhelmed and killed.'

'It's a warrior's death, at least' sighed Sereda rather quietly who was hoping to meet such a fate at a significantly later point in her life, preferably after ascending the throne and making a few changes to how Orzammar's system and possibly with Gorim at her side and worthy heirs to rule afterwards.

'I have been given the choice to join you as well, my lady' Gorim then said and Sereda gave him a sad look as she felt her composure finally begin to break.

'Please, do not' Sereda then said as she felt tears almost ready to flow from her eyes 'go to the surface, live a long, happy life for me.'

'I would give up all the safety in the world to be with you' Gorim said rather wistfully and for a moment she feared that he was really going to follow her down to the Deep Roads. Her Second's shoulders then slumped for a moment and he continued 'Our time is up, may the Paragons guide your sword and the Stone hold you up.'

The tears which Sereda held back was now almost ready to break as she heard those words and she found herself blurting out 'wait, please.'

'We have no time, my heart' Gorim then said with a bit of urgency as he glanced towards the hallway where the guard still stood.

'Just hold me one last time' whispered Sereda.

'The Guards won't keep quiet about something like that' whispered Gorim with a bit of surprise 'your family will know…'

Sereda then sighed again and she nodded for even under such circumstances, proper decorum and standards were needed to be maintained. 'You're right' Sereda then said with sadness and regret 'we must still protect our reputations.'

For a moment, she saw a sad look as well on Gorim's face, a part of him which wished that they had at least one last moment together, regardless of the their station and he spoke before turning away 'I will always love you, my lady.'

Watching Gorim go was perhaps one of the worst things Sereda had ever felt, like in those stories about a woman who watches her love go away to war and was quite aware of reversal in roles. She then heard the footsteps of the guard moving towards her cell and Sereda looked up to see the bald red armored warrior.

'They are ready for you now' the guard then said and it felt like Sereda was walking into her own execution, which was not far from the reality of her situation...

* * *

A feeling of weightlessness and vertigo filled the senses of Vanyra Skorrisdottir as her eyes beheld the nightmarish hellscape of the Realms of Chaos before suddenly, everything went black and she quickly felt the impact of her own back landing against hard stone. The air within her lungs suddenly escaped the moment she struck the earth with a loud "oof". Groaning with pain and mentally muttering a curse to all of Ogre-kind as well as towards magicians, the Engineer breathed the air back into her lungs and she could hear the panicked sounds of _Got_ flailing about.

'_Bugrit_…' hissed Vanyra Skorrisodottir as she rolled over and struggled to push herself up. Darkness surrounded the dwarf whose eyes had already been adjusted to the gloom and soon she was able to see through it as easily as day. Getting back up to her feet, the Engineer felt her vision spin for a moment and it seemed that she would need to sit down before simply shaking her head and focusing her will on trying to reorient herself.

Shrugging off the momentary dizziness, Vanyra blinked twice before feeling her head clear up. Pulling her cloak's hood back over her head, she surveyed the area around her and quickly she found herself to not be in the Ogre kitchen, instead she was in an open cavern that was clearly deep underground. After a moment she quickly noticed something off about the stones around her, there was something strange, different and disturbingly unfamiliar about it which she could not quite put her finger on.

She was also quick to notice her mule which continued to bray to be lying on the ground and struggling to get back up but was unable to so due to the weight of all the items it carried. With a soft grunt, Vanyra went towards the pack animal to help relieve its burden and get it back up to its hooves; she also noticed that her wrench conveniently lay close by. As she moved towards the pack animal, she began to feel a familiar itch on her palms and she had learned long ago learned to trust her instincts when danger was nearby.

Quickly retrieving her wrench, she then reached for the pack upon _Got_'s back where she removed and equipped a brace of twin multi-barreled pistols which she had crafted herself over the course of her travels. Taking one pistol in her left hand and placing the other hand over the hilt of her enchanted dwarf-forged _Katzbalger_, she thumbed the hammer on the back of her pistol while drawing her sword from its sheath and the blade's fuller was lit with gloaming amethyst sigils. In the darkness around her, she caught sight of moving humanoid shapes and something told her that whatever these things were, whatever they are, not friendly.

Pointing her pistol towards the closest of the approaching creatures, Vanyra narrowed her eyes while trying to get a better look and what she saw filled the dwarf with revulsion. Multiple creatures as hideous as Chaos mutants attempted to circle her with a variety of swords, axes and maces drawn. Quickly scanning the surrounding monsters around her, the Engineer also noticed a few archers taking position upon some high ground and she also noticed one tall monster with a strange headdress and a staff, another damned sorcerer no doubt.

Quickly weighing her options of which one she should shoot first, Vanyra quickly turned towards one of the sorcerer and fired her pistol. The loud crack of the blackpowder weapon being discharged echoed across the cavern as the sorcerer fell and already she was on the move with the auto loading mechanism of her pistol replacing the spent barrel with another that was loaded with shot and powder. Bringing her pistol up to face another monster which looked almost like a dwarf-sized orc, she shot the thing in the face before sweeping her _katzbalger_ to the side and catching another in the neck and nearly decapitating the thing.

A warm rush of vitality infused the dwarf's being as her sword parted the flesh of the monster. Once, she had felt uneasy about using a weapon with such a ghastly enchantment but the wizard who had imbued it was someone Vanyra herself had come to trust which was the only reason why she allowed it. The sword had served her well during the course of her travels and the magic that had been placed upon it only served to make the blade even deadlier.

An arrow struck the rocky ground on Vanyra's as more of the things drew closer with weapons raised and she spun around to face the position of another archer and she pulled the trigger on it. The second archer died like the first one with the others not paying much heed as the ones armed with melee weapons followed after her. Quickly holstering her pistol, the Engineer then removed one of the last few grenades which was still attached to her bandolier and she primed the explosive device before hurling it over the heads of the monsters.

After a few moments, the grenade exploded over the monsters in a puff of smoke and flame that sent a hail of razor sharp metal shards down towards them. The creatures that assailed her were momentarily stunned by the loudness of the explosion and the sudden death of their kin, they did not notice the second grenade that had landed in the midst of those at the front of the group, facing towards the Engineer. A second explosion of smoke, fire and shrapnel blossomed underneath those closer to the dwarf and causing horrendous bodily damage as body parts, blood and flesh were scattered about.

Not giving time for survivors to recover from the shock, Vanyra hurled one last grenade before quickly pulling out the pistol she had just holstered and fired the remaining rounds with each one felling a target before switching to the other pistol. Unleashing another volley of lead rounds with deadly accuracy, she closed her eyes and looked away as the third grenade exploded in a bright flash of retina-searing light and the Engineer then began to run towards the remaining monsters with the name of Grimnir upon her lips. Firing the last round of her pistol towards the head of one human-sized monster, she holstered the gun and pulled out her wrench, dual-wielding both the tool and sword.

With skill that had been finely honed over the course of her many adventures, the dwarf swept her wrench to the left and smashed the skull of one short monster while her gloaming sword bit deep into the neck of another. Feeling the rush of stolen life energy which reinvigorated her, Vanyra quickly moved behind one of the taller monsters and smashed the back of its right kneecap and forcing the thing down before plunging her _katzbalger_ into the back of its neck where the blade emerged from the front of its throat. Pulling her sword out from the monster's neck, she kicked it down to the ground and spun backwards with her wrench following and striking another in its hideous face.

Fighting with a fury to match that of a Slayer, Vanyra became a whirlwind of flashing steel as she slashed and smashed at the creatures. The various ensorcelled pieces of equipment which she had acquired over the course of her travels made the Engineer faster and stronger than what would be possible from most other dwarfs. Dark, foul smelling blood that burned on contact began to coat her weapons, armour and cloak as each death further filled the dwarf with the vitality to keep on fighting.

* * *

Standing before the gates leading into the Deep Road, Sereda looked towards the bulwark with fear and she wondered if this is what it was like when someone was about to be executed. Stepping towards the gates which she had so recently taken on the way to find the shield from the Aeducan Thaig, Sereda was accompanied by a single guard while an old dwarf garbed in formal red robes often worn during Assemblage meetings awaited her and in his hands she saw him carry a sword and shield.

'Here is the prisoner Lord Harrowmont' announced the guard towards the old dwarf who was the closest friend of Serada's father, King Endrin Aeducan. With his arms behind his back, Lord Harrowmont nodded to guard and said to Sereda in a calm tone that was spoken in an official manner.

'Having been found guilty of fratricide by the Assembly of Orzammar' said the old lord 'your are hereby sentenced to exile and death. Your name is, from this point forward, stripped from the records. You are no longer a person, nor a memory. You are to be cast into the Deep Roads with only sword and shield, there to redeem your life by fighting the enemies of Orzammar until your death. Do you have anything to say before the sentence is carried out?'

'I'm innocent' was all that Sereda said in response her voice calm and collected.

'I want to believe that' said Lord Harrowmont whose tone made it clear that he himself was convinced of her innocence and he continued 'look me in the eye and tell me you didn't do this. For your father's sake.'

'I didn't kill Trian' Sereda said in the same tone, placing great emphasis on each word.

Lord Harrowmont then nodded with a look of relief mixed with sorrow and said 'I believe you, that means Bhelen planned this from the start.' The old lord's words were of some comfort and vindication to Serada who hoped that at least some people would not believe in her guilt. 'Believe me, I will spend the rest of my days making sure Bhelen does not profit by his deed' Lord Harrowmont then said before handing Sereda the sword and shield 'your father asked me to give these to you, this sword and shield are of fine dwarven make, strike a blow at our enemies.'

Taking the two and feeling at least some comfort from the protection it would provide, Sereda quietly said to Lord Harrowmont as she tested the weight of the gear 'Tell my father I went to a warrior's death.'

'I will' nodded the old lord as he then looked towards the guards operating the mechanisms to open and close the gates. 'Open the doors and let the condemned walk through' he commanded and the guards obeyed. Lord Harrowmont then gave Sereda one last, sad look and spoke in farewell 'May the Stone accept you when you fall.'

The Princess quietly nodded to him as she felt resigned towards her fate. Lifting the sword and shield in a readied stance, Sereda looked to see the gates opening and she could feel the waves of heat washing over her as a bright light filled the Deep Road. Walking towards what would surely be her doom; Sereda felt a strange mix of regret, anger and freedom towards her situation.

Looking back one last time to see the guards still manning the gate mechanisms and Lord Harrowmont who was already walking back to the city, Sereda then took a deep breath and strode forth. The gates soon closed behind her, barring any way to get back into Orzammar and ahead she could see the bright path with a cavern leading to the side. If she was lucky, she at least could kill a few dozen of the Darkspawn before going down herself.

Ascending a slight slope which led into the mouth of the cavern, she quickly noticed the booted feet of a slain Hurlock lying still upon the ground. Deciding to see if the body had anything useful on it, she kept her eyes and ears alert as well for whatever had killed it and not much to her surprise as she drew closer towards the dead Darkspawn, she heard a loud hissing from above and she looked up to see a giant spider descending upon her. Stepping back and evading a lunge from the spider as it threw its weight at her, Sereda charged the overgrown insect with shield raised and she slammed the bulwark into its mandible before plunging her sword directly into its many eyed face.

The spider instantly went limp like a puppet with its strings cut and she felt a small measure of disgust for among the many things that could be found in the Deep Roads, Giant Spiders were among the creatures she hated encountering the most. Pulling her sword out from its head, Sereda then went towards the slain Hurlock which lay nearby and she began to search it for anything useful. Finding a serviceable shortbow, a greatsword and a suit of rough studded leather armor, the Princess was glad to have at least found something that would help keep her alive.

Cautiously looking about to see if there were more darkspawn or spiders, Sereda found the tunnel to be clear for now. Setting down her sword and shield, she then pulled up her dress from the skirt first and removed her commoner's clothing before putting on the leather armor. Wishing to instead have found something more protective such as a suit of chainmail armor at least, Sereda felt at least somewhat comforted with the extra added bit of protection to her person.

Reclaiming her sword and shield, the Princess moved towards the next section of the tunnel with cautious steps while keeping an eye ahead and above. Passing through a bend where bright light shone through the ceiling, she quickly saw another tunnel with a small plateau ahead of her and she heard heavy footsteps down the passage. A Genlock archer suddenly came into her view and she saw that it already had an arrow notched and ready.

Raising her shield and charging the Darkspawn in the same way she had done with the spider, Sereda felt her right leg breaking a tripwire rope as the impact of an arrow embedded into her shield's wooden surface. Guessing that whatever trap was connected to the tripwire did not work, she lowered her shield at the last moment and delivered a deadly thrust of her sword and the Genlock did not react in time before the tip of the blade sank into its chest. She then heard the grunting of another Darkspawn to her right and Sereda looked to see a different Genlock coming at her with a dagger in hand.

Kicking the archer off of her sword, Sereda calmly faced the newcomer with a professional discipline that was mixed with her general contempt and hatred towards the Darkspawn. The Genlock lunged towards her with its dagger aimed high and the dwarf countered with a quick slash to its thighs. The superior reach of her sword allowed Sereda to strike the Darkspawn first before its blade even came close to the striking the Princess before she followed up with a shield bash that knocked the Genlock back.

Quickly going on the assault, Sereda drove her sword into the darkspawn's gut and it spewed a copious amount of dark blood that splashed over her sword arm. Disgust filled the dwarf as she pulled her blade out of it the thing and she swung the edge of her sword towards its neck and decapitating the Genlock with the brutal precision of an executioner. The Darkspawn corpse slumped to the ground and pouring more of its foul blood towards the Stone and Sereda shook her head with disdain before going into a defensive stance in case there were more.

After a moment of silence, Sereda nodded and decided that she was alone for now and she looked about the area to see if there was anything useful she could use. The Princess quickly noted upon the plateau, the corpse of a dwarf that lay alone within the cavern, such a sight was nothing unusual in the Deep Roads for warriors, mercenaries and scavengers often found their ends in the tunnels, yet the sight of such was often somewhat poignant to Sereda. Climbing the plateau from a small slope to the side, she went towards the corpse and she tried not to look too closely to the poor dwarf who looked like he had just been a Darkspawn's meal.

On the corpse, she found a serviceable looking pair of leather gloves and a dagger. The Princess was especially glad to find the dagger for while she was trained fairly well in fighting with a two-handed weapon, archery or weapon and shield, she honestly preferred to fight with a dual-wield style. Saying a quiet prayer to the slain dwarf and hoping that the Stone had already accepted his spirit, Sereda gently then placed the gloves on her hands while trying to ignore how it had just been on a dead person and stowed away her shield upon her back.

Armed now with sword and dagger, she felt a bit more confident with her skills in fighting. As she prepared to descend from the plateau, a slight tremor was felt along the stone around her and a distant booming sound that followed. Worried for a moment at the possibility of a cave-in or that perhaps there were Darkspawn getting ready to lay siege to Orzammar, she quickly remembered about the Blight that was supposed to be spreading over the surface which ruled out the possibility of a head on assault to her home city.

Again, more tremors began to reverberate across the stones which were also followed by distant booms and Sereda wondered if others were down here fighting the Darkspawn at the moment. The embers of hope began to spark within the heart of Sereda who had just felt resigned to meet her doom for surely there could only be a few others who would choose to fight the Darkspawn here at such a time. Picking up her pace as she followed the distant sounds, Sereda Aeducan knew that she had to investigate for if there was some tiny sliver of a chance that she would survive this then it would be all she needed.

* * *

Vanyra Skorrisdottir was quite surprised to have found that her pack mule was still alive and unharmed from the creatures that had assailed them, having already set down her bloodied weapons near the animal, she searched through baggage it carried for more explosives or other weapons. The creatures were reeling back from her furious assault which had left a trail of corpses; they had fought with as much skill as a typical beastman and a savagery to match the mutated creatures which in her opinion, they seemed to have quite some similarities to the Chaos things. A grin began to spread over her lips as she finally laid her hands upon a heavy gun that resembled a cannon but was portable enough for a single dwarf to carry and the barrel of which was shaped in the likeness of a dragon's maw.

Runes blazed along the length of the gun which was appropriately called a _Drakk-Thrund_ or Drakegun, and the eyes upon the head of the dragon head blazed with fiery lights. Quickly opening up a compartment on the back of the Drakegun, Vanyra grabbed a sturdy metal flask from her mule's pack and removed the stopper with one hand before pouring it contents into the weapon and she grabbed another flask as well. The creatures then began to regroup not far away and they assailed the Engineer in a wave of flesh and iron that reeked of corruption.

Leveling the mouth of the dragon-headed weapon towards the creatures, Vanyra felt a brief surge of anticipation as she squeezed the trigger of the Drakegun and the darkness around her was banished by bright orange flames which leapt towards her targets with a great fwoosh. Alchemical flames obliterated the armour and flesh of the monsters as an intense heat that washed over the Engineer who wore a runic amulet that now glowed with its active Rune of the Furnace, thus providing protection against flames. The smell of burnt monster flesh began to fill the dwarf's nostrils as she advanced and continued to incinerate more of the things, her hobnailed orc-hide boots crunched down upon blackened bones which crumbled into ashes.

After a few more bursts of searing flames, the Engineer released the trigger and the stream of fire died down with burning embers dripping from the dragon's mouth, the damage it had wrought was both terrible and highly satisfying to the dwarf. Piles of ashes and scorched bone lay before her in heaps, she had no idea how many monsters she had slain but was glad to see how the rest of the things were now fleeing from her. Taking the time to refuel her Drakegun, Vanyra cautiously looked toward the direction of the fleeing monsters and she saw that those who had survived were being reinforced by more coming from the tunnels ahead.

Like much of the Engineer's arsenal, Vanyra's Drakegun was heavily modified from the standard equipment used by the Throngs of Karaz Ankor. This particular weapon for example was capable of either throwing sheets of fire like the Flame Cannon War Machines or it could also be used to launch a bolt of searing molten energy. It was also capable of firing the mighty Trollhammer Torpedoes if ever she ran into much larger and more dangerous foes like the aforementioned Trolls, Ogres, Minotaurs, Vargheists, Hydras, Mutants or Dryads and Treemen of Athel Loren.

After reloading her weapon, the Engineer began to fall back towards her fallen pack mule that still brayed rather hysterically. Setting her Drakegun down, close to her sword and wrench, she pulled out a light, airtight, rectangular metal crate from the pack mule's back and the animal slowly managed to get back up to its hooves before staggering off towards a tunnel opposite from where those monsters were coming. Muttering a curse, the Engineer did not have time to pay much attention to the mule and she focused on opening up the box which was sealed by a metal lock that required a specific number code by rolling a series of three metal discs.

Using her right index finger and thumb to roll the metal discs which were segmented into seven numbered sections, she quickly set each one to the proper numbers and the lock opened up with a click. Lifting the lid of the crate to reveal a soft bedding of hay which contained a series of glass spheres, each of the containers carried a deadly poisonous gas that came from a most loathsome of sources. Gently picking up one sphere, the Engineer then turned back to see the oncoming monstrosities that were regrouping for another go at her, their persistence reminded the dwarf too much of the hated greenskins.

Hurling the sphere towards the things, she quickly grabbed another sphere and hurled it as well before the first even struck. The distant sound of glass shattering was heard by Vanyra as the first sphere struck and in an instant, it released a cloud of toxic gas that caused several of the monsters which eagerly tried to get back at her to keel over and choke in the blood that should have begun to fill their lungs. The second and third spheres crashed as well, creating the same deadly results and by the time the fourth and final sphere had struck, the dwarf had created an impenetrable cloud of gas that blocked the way.

Quickly reclaiming her enchanted sword, wrench and Drakegun, Vanyra did not fancy the idea of seeing if she had enough ammunition to wipe out this monstrous horde. Following in the direction where she had last seen her mule run off to, the Engineer cautiously looked back before going deeper into the tunnels ahead. Hoping that the deadly cloud would be enough to cover her escape, the dwarf moved further into the darkness of the tunnels ahead with absolutely no idea what possibly awaited her.

* * *

Feeling the comforting weight of the heavy armor that now protected her flesh, Sereda was somewhat surprised at how convenient it was that she had just found a pair of dead dwarves who still had some serviceable gear on them. Small mercies it was she supposed, at least it gave her a better chance at killing more of the Darkspawn whose presence was quite minimal so far. A slight clatter of her armor followed with each step she took and her eyes remained wary of anymore threats as her sword and dagger remained in her hands.

Sereda felt waves of heat coming from one tunnel and she saw the faint yet familiar magma glow which surely must mean that she was on the way back towards the main path of the Deep Roads. Her travel would be tense but uneventful as she ran into no other dangers until finally indeed, she arrived back into the ancient corridors which had been carved ages ago by her people. She then heard a series of clopping sounds upon the stones, like those from the animals surface dwellers ride on and she noticed a rather skittish looking furry creature carrying a heavy looking pack on it back.

A mule she thinks the creature is called for she had seen Surface Caste and human merchants use such animal to help carry wares. Suddenly growing very suspicious of this sudden stroke of luck she was having, Sereda cautiously moved towards the frightened looking animal while wondering where its owner was and soon she heard footsteps coming from a nearby tunnel. Sheathing her sword and hoping that she can acquire the aid from this stranger, she saw a grey cloaked dwarf running towards her direction while carrying a most unusual looking object that appeared as a large hollow metal tube that was shaped in the semblance of a dragon.

The grey cloaked stranger gave a brief look to Sereda who saw green eyes underneath the hood widen in surprise at the sight of the princess. Clad in a gleaming chainmail armor of a design the princess had never seen before, she also noticed the two weapons which were carried by the other dwarf, one was surely some sort of the sword while the other was a strange looking, metallic cudgel, like a mace. The stranger then began to speak in strange tongue that sounded almost like a low rumbling and she could make out some words.

'_Drakka nu-ungor_!' said the other dwarf said in a feminine voice that was filled with alarm as she then spoke again while pointing to the tunnels the stranger had just come out from and repeated '_Drakka nu-ungor_!'

'I… I don't even know what you just said' replied Sereda in her own native tongue as she looked towards the tunnel and she began to reach for her sword and dagger again.

The howls of Darkspawn were heard from tunnels and the princess cursed as she began to think that this stranger had just brought a whole pack of Darkspawn upon her. Readying herself in an aggressive stance, Sereda then heard the other dwarf repeatedly speak what seemed to be another word of the same language but was gesturing for the princess to wait. She then saw the stranger point the dragon-shaped weapon towards the tunnel weapon and noticed with a bit of wariness how the eyes of the draconic figure seemed to glow with a light of its own.

Darkspawn then began to flood the tunnel leading towards them in thick wave and she heard the other dwarf roar '_Nu Haruvalk Drengharrha_! and intense flames suddenly leapt out from the dragon headed maw of the grey cloaked stranger's weapon and several Darkspawn were suddenly incinerated by the fires.

A sudden chill descended upon Sereda as she saw that her breath could be seen as mist and from her experience in fighting Darkspawn, she knew that an Emissary was somewhere nearby. The flames which had filled the tunnel quickly extinguished as she soon saw the sorcerous monster, a Hurlock Emissary accompanying the other Darkspawn with a staff in hand and a distinguishing headdress. Another burst of intense flames leapt out from the cloaked dwarf's dragon shaped weapon and towards the Darkspawn again.

The flames crashed against a wall of hardened ice that suddenly appeared between the two dwarves and the darkspawn. The cloaked stranger continued to quite literally pour more fire into the barrier before finally, the stream of flames began to die down. The stranger quickly went towards the skittish looking mule while softly speaking in her foreign tongue and she began searching through the pack on its back.

Unsure of what the stranger was honestly planning, Sereda readied herself for the inevitable assault of the Darkspawn and indeed she saw the ice wall crumble into many tiny shards that melted into water before it even hit the ground. As usual with the savage things, they attacked in a flood of bodies, each one of the monstrosities leered at them with undisguised bloodlust. Readying her blades, the princess met the first creature, a Genlock axe wielder with an expert parry of her dagger before gutting it in the stomach with her longsword.

Pulling her sword free from the corpse along with some of its foul entrails, she was quick to perform a dual-sweep with both of her weapons and cutting down two more darkspawn to her flanks before blocking an overhead chop from a plate armored Hurlock wielding a great sword in front of her. The impact was enough to cause Sereda to fall to one knee but her blades still remained locked in place and after withstanding the strike, she pushed the great blade up and plunged both of her weapons into thighs which were not covered by metal plates.

The Hurlock roared in agony as both blades sheared through the upper section of it legs and Sereda felt the satisfying crunch of bone along with the cutting of flesh. With several more Darkspawn surrounding her, the princess did not have time to finish off her opponent before another of the creatures, a Genlock came at her. Ducking her head in time to avoid the swipe of an axe towards her face, Sereda pulled her blades out from the wounded Hurlock and she was quick to slam the pommel of her sword into the Genlock's face.

The Genlock reeled back from the attack but another Darkspawn, a Hurlock launched a low sword thrust towards Sereda who tried parry it but was unsuccessful. The tip of the sword struck Sereda over her left breast but the dwarf forged armor she had claimed had thankfully prevented the blade from piercing her heart but the impact was enough to briefly stagger her. Quickly regaining her footing, the princess countered with a reverse gripped slash from her dagger and she slit the throat Hurlock's throat, causing it to drop its sword and gasp for breath as blood gushed out from the fatal wound.

Sweeping her own sword to her right and cleaving an attacking Genlock in the face, Sereda was forced back once more as she attempted to evade the strike of another Darkspawn. There were just so many of the damned thing she realized and it seemed that the doom she wished to avoid meeting had now found her. Bitterness, regret and hatred towards Bhelen fueled her anger as she continued to fight the Darkspawn who kept on pouring out from the tunnel like a flood.

Parrying another sword swing and countering it with a slash that severed a Hurlock's jaw from it mouth, Sereda knew that at this rate, she would soon be overwhelmed. As another Hurlock came at her, the princess heard a loud whirring sound which was followed by a rapid series of _dakka dakka dakka_ and soon the Deep Road tunnel was filled with the dying screams of Darkspawn. The Hurlock that had attacked Sereda became distracted by the noise as it turned its head towards the source and its mistake proved fatal for the princess thrust her sword up and she stabbed the thing underneath the jaw, and she felt the tip go all the way up into the Darkspawn's skull.

All around her, Sereda saw several Darkspawn suddenly being cut down in droves as limbs went flying, bodies were bifurcated or various parts just outright exploding in grisly showers of tainted meat and bone. Soon the Darkspawn began to flee from Sereda and even while they tried to escape, many more of the things suddenly suffered a similar, gruesome death. When the princess finally saw the source of the destruction, she became stunned to see what it was.

It was the grey cloaked stranger who had wrought such ruin towards the Darkspawn. In the hands of the strange, Sereda saw a strange and outlandish contraption that was composed of six metal tubes that constantly spun while emitting flashes of fire. The stranger furiously spun a lever on the side of the weapon in a circular motion while steam hissed out from the bizarre yet deadly thing, and Sereda also noticed that the other dwarf was also carrying some sort of metallic pack with a thick rope-like object that connect it to the weapon.

The stranger then began to slowly follow the Darkspawn towards the tunnel and in its confines, they had even less space to evade whatever it was the grey cloaked figure was using. In less than a minute, the Darkspawn that had threatened to overwhelm Sereda and the stranger had either fled or now lay in piles of fresh, corrupted meat that fouled the air like an abattoir. Never in the life of Sereda Aeducan had she seen such death and destruction wrought in such a short period of time, first there was the dragon-like weapon that breathed flames and now this contraption.

Just who was this stranger? Thought Sereda rather warily as she wondered if the grey cloaked figure carried any other similarly deadly weapons. Soon the stranger slowed the spinning of the lever as a clicking sound began to emanate and the princess even saw that the metal tubes were actually glowing like a sword being forged. Gently setting the glowing end of the deadly contraption down upon the bloodied stone floor, the stranger looked to Sereda with a grim look and spoke in the same, rumbling tongue.

'_Nu wanrag ori bin Ungdrin_?' questioned the grey cloaked stranger who then pulled down her hood to reveal a surprisingly youthful looking maiden who looked to be about a year or so younger than Sereda with long auburn hair that had been tied into series of braids which were woven with a metallic cord. Again, Sereda had absolutely no idea what the stranger said and she shrugged, she then heard the stranger ask in a very confused manner '_Ek wannai Khazalid?_ _Ek Dawi ai?_'

Shrugging in response, the stranger gave Sereda a strange look before asking "_Sprechen sie Reikspiel?_" Again, Sereda had no idea what the stranger said but she recognized the some of the words as of being the language spoken by humans from the Anderfels. The stranger then began to fluently speak in an accented but understandable Orlesian which Sereda had knowledge of and she heard, 'can you understand me now?'

'_Oui_, yes I understand you' nodded Sereda as she spoke in Orlesian as well for the Princess had learned much of the language from the occasional ambassadors sent by the Empress of Orlais.

'How do you not know how to speak in _Khazalid_?' asked the stranger in a very curious and somewhat disbelieving manner 'you are a dwarf as well, aren't you?'

'I have no idea what this _Khazalid_ even is' replied Sereda who guessed that it was whatever the stranger was speaking in earlier. 'But yes, I am a dwarf' added the princess who was both wary and curious about this stranger.

Again, the stranger gave Sereda another odd look before asking 'Where in the _Ungdrin_ _Angkor_ are we? What were those monsters?'

'You mean the Deep Roads?' questioned Sereda incredulously who guessed that this "_Ungdrin Angkor_" was what the other dwarf was calling the ancient pathways that once connected the Dwarven Empire. As to those things… those, surely you know of the Darkspawn? Asked Sereda who was growing even more curious about this strange other dwarf who surely could not have come from Orzammar, perhaps the stranger was one of the Surface Caste?

'Deep Roads? Darkspawn?' questioned the stranger yet again before looking towards the now corpse-choked tunnel. 'Are there more of those... things, coming?

'I cannot say for sure' shrugged Sereda who was worried that the creatures would bring in more reinforcements. The stranger then muttered something unintelligible to Sereda and she began to survey the area for a moment.

'Do you have a camp or a place we can rest?' asked the stranger.

'I do not' replied Sereda with a shake of her head but an idea came into her mind 'but I know a safe place where we can find shelter.'

'We should go, before more of those... Darkspawn show up' the grey cloaked stranger then said and Sereda nodded in agreement. The stranger then went towards her mule and tried to calm the beast while the Princess kept an eye out for any more of the Darkspawn. 'What is your name anyway?' came the voice of the stranger as she placed the multiple metal tubed contraption and the pack it was connected to on the back of the mule.

'Sereda Aeducan, of Orzammar' replied the princess in a formal manner while hoping that the stranger would have at least heard of her royal family's name.

'And I am Vanyra Skorrisdottir of Khazid Zon and Karaz-a-Karak' greeted the other dwarf who tightened some ropes on the mule's back, securing some items before walking up to Sereda and offering a friendly handshake, the princess could tell from the stranger's expression that the other dwarf had never heard of the Aeducan name as well. Taking the leather gloved left hand of this Vanyra Skorrisdottir, the princess gave the other dwarf a firm handshake and a friendly nod.

Quietly amazed by the weapons carried by Vanyra Skorrisdottir, Sereda began to have some faint hope that with the help of this stranger, she may actually survive her exile, and yet a questioned began to nag at her thoughts. Where would she go?


	2. Drengi

The echoes of booted feet and the clopping of hooves filled the tunnels of the Deep Roads as Sereda led the way towards the Aeducan Thaig. The bodies of the Darkspawn her expedition party had slain earlier were mostly still there with a few looking like they had become the latest meals of a Deepstalker pack. Glancing back, she looked to her companion who warily surveyed the tunnel ahead with one hand tightly held onto the grip of a crossbow with extra mechanisms Sereda had never before seen in any similiar weapon while the other hand held on to the reins of the mule.

They had talked a bit along the way and from what Sereda could glean was that her companion was from a placed called Karaz-a-Karak and was heading towards a place called Khazid Zon. She had never heard of a city or a Thaig with such a name for they sounded very foreign from anything in the tongue of her people. The Exiled Princess could not also help but be quite curious at the rather outlandish yet deadly array of weaponry this Vanyra Skorrisdottir carried and she could see that there were more of such things on the back of the mule.

'What was that you used to kill the Darkspawn back there?' asked Sereda while once more using the language of Orlais.

'You mean the Rapid Rotary Repeater Rifle?' replied the grey cloaked dwarf who also spoke in Orlesian as she glanced to the multiple tubed weapon which was safely secured upon the mule's back.

'The Rapid Rota- what?' questioned Sereda with confusion.

'Rapid, Rotary, Repeater, Rifle' slowly repeated Vanyra Skorrisdottir while carefully enunciating each word. 'Surely you know what a gun is?' asked the other dwarf.

'A gun?' asked the Princess again who had never heard of such a term.

'Yes, a gun' nodded the grey cloaked dwarf 'a firearm, _Thrund_? _Gewehr_?'

Again, Sereda's response was a confused look which was followed by a shrug. Vanyra then gave a serious questioning look to the Princess who admittedly was not fond of seeming ignorant to this stranger. An awkward silence descended upon as they continued their journey towards the Thaig.

* * *

The smell of death filled the passage which led dangerously close towards Orzammar. Kneeling down on one knee upon the wet stone floor that was now slick with the blood of Darkspawn along with bones and ashes, Everin Orlon removed one of his gauntlets and pressed his fingers into the mush of butchered meat. It was still warm, signifying that they had only been killed recently.

Curious at this, he then felt something solid, small and loose among the mass of meat and he gently yet carefully picked it up with his index finger and thumb. With a light squelch, he pulled out a small metal ball that was covered in Darkspawn blood and by his guess, it was made from lead. How curious thought Everin Orlon who wondered if there was more of such things among the dead.

Garbed in blackened Redsteel light plate mail which proudly bore upon the section of the suit that protected his chest, the painted white skull insignia of the Legion of the Dead. Black ink tattoos marked the face of the dwarf, forming a grim, skull-like shape, his blonde plaited beard reached down to his collarbone while a horned helmet rested upon his brow. Twin Waraxes which were also forged from Red Steel were strapped to his back, each carried the marks of the Smith House Turana and on his back he also carried a Whitewood short bow from the surface and a leather quiver of arrows.

Everin was a Legionnaire Scout, a fighter who relied more upon subtlety and finesse to take down an opponent but was no less deadly than the Berserkers of his Caste. He had been tracking and keeping tabs on the Darkspawn war party that was getting too close to Orzammar until something drew their attention and like Deepstalkers who had managed to corner injured prey, the foul creatures rushed whatever it was. He did his best to pursue the monsters while keeping to the shadows at the same time and then heard the loud series of_ pow pow _sounds which were followed by explosions and the next thing he knew, the Darkspawn were running away from a blazing inferno.

Worried at the idea that the creatures may have run afoul of something like a dragon, he had been forced to distance himself from the enemy when reinforcements arrived. He then noticed the gas clouds that had blocked the tunnel for a few minutes and after it dissipated, he saw the creatures give chase. He had been forced to wait again as the Darkspawn surged through the tunnel and he had long moment of decision-making on whether he should head to Orzammar and inform the guards at the gates of the incoming horde or if he should continue to observe them.

After the horde headed further into tunnel, he quietly followed their steps where he had found several dead Darkspawn whose mouths were filled with their own blood. Charred bones and ashes filled the passage as well and he also found glittering shards of glass among the dead and not far further down he found a hay-filled metal crate which had been kicked aside by the Darkspawn. The crate itself had no known markings to distinguish who made it but it had an unusual locking mechanism which would have been impossible to pick at had it been sealed in the first place.

He then attempted to further follow the Darkspawn who were drawing closer to the gates of Orzammar until he heard the distant staccato of _dakka dakka dakka_ and the creatures he followed were soon completely routed with only one horribly burned survivor. Of what had caused so much death among the hated creatures was not known to him and it troubled Everin to think whatever it is was just loose in the tunnels. At the least though, a trail was left behind and it headed in the direction of one of the old Thaigs.

With a silent stride, Everin followed the tracks for he was eager to uncover this mystery.

* * *

Gazing down upon them were stone Ancestor statues whose design style was unlike anything Vanyra Skorrisdottir had ever seen. One statue depicted a dwarf holding up a weapon that had two hammerheads, one on each endand the other depicted a warrior maiden who wielded a single, mighty axe. Just as in the tunnels which the Engineer's companion called the Deep Road, it all seemed so strange and foreign to the dwarf who had lived for many years within the city of _Karaz-a-Karak_ and had in her lifetime, traveled to the Holds of _Zhufbar, Barak Varr, Grazhyakh Grungni_ and _Karak Izor_.

The rock itself was different and strange to the Engineer who could still feel the familiar vibrations but the material of it was somehow... of in her eyes. She was also quick to note the unusual armour design which her companion wielded along with the use of a sword for not many dwarfs (such as the Eningeer herself) chose to wield such a weapon which was often more associated with Men or Elves. Keeping her suspicions to herself, Vanyra quietly followed Sereda passed a door of stone and metal which led towards a hall of carved pillar and a bridge which arched over a river of magma.

The heat of it reminded the Engineer of the workshops and foundries found within many of the Dwarf Holds and to her amazement, she even saw to her left, a cascading fall of the bright magma. As they crossed the bridge, Vanyra then saw an abandoned settlement or fortress with an architecture that was somewhat similar to the designs used by her people but significantly less decorated. The sight of it reminded the Engineer of one too many places within the _Ungdrin Ankor_ where the ancient holds had been lost and overrun with all manners of foul beings.

Warily, Vanyra also noted the smell of dried blood and piles of fresh looking dwarf bones wearing armor which were strewn next to the bodies of the creatures which Sereda had called Darkspawn.

'We can rest over there' called Sereda in Breton as she pointed towards one structure with a slightly ajar stone and metal door with a small platform at the front. Engineer cautiously nodded while tightening the grip on her Repeater Crossbow for the area in general made her feel uneasy. The dwarfs then entered the structure with its interior being composed of an open chamber with a sarcophagus in the center.

'Is this a tomb?' questioned Vanyra who was completely against the idea of robbing a dwarfen grave.

'Yes it is' replied Sereda as she closed the stone door after the mule came in as well 'it is the grave of one of my Ancestors, Paragon Aeducan.'

Again, Vanyra gave a hard look towards this Sereda for it was one thing to just allow a stranger to enter the resting place of an honoured ancestor but to abandon it as well was sacrilege! A stain upon the honour of a clan or a hold.

'Stop looking at me like that!' spoke Sereda with an annoyed tone.

'If this place is the tomb of one of your ancestors, why has it been abandoned?' asked the Engineer with suspicion.

'Because we had lost it to the Darkspawn generations ago' shrugged the other dwarf who then moved towards one pillar across Vanyra and she sat herself down. Deciding to drop the case for now the Engineer then began adjusting the rope the secured the various objects on the back of _Got_ and she gingerly began to set them down upon the stone floor. 'Do you need help with that?' asked Sereda as Vanyra grunted and lifted up her Drakegun.

'I can handle it myself thank you very much' grunted the Engineer as she set the fire breathing weapon on the side of one corner along with some other items.

Cursing again the damnable ogres who had stolen her mule and had forced the Dwarf to seek restitution which could only be paid in blood, she was also furious at the sheer amount of explosives she had left as traps in their cave. As soon as she finished freeing the mule of its burden and allowing _Got_ to walk around freely, she then began to take stock of what she had left. Vanyra did not have much ammunition left for the Rapid Rotary Repeater Rifle (which used a specialized type of bullet that was incompatible with her other guns) nor was there much Dragon Oil left for the Drakegun and her overall supply of grenades, mines and other bombs was also not good.

At the very least though, the Ogres had by some miracle, missed the dried food items the Mootland tobacco she had picked up in _Karak Izor_ and most importantly, the two small kegs of prized dwarfish brew. The Engineer was also thankful that at least she also still had quite a lot of bolts left for her crossbow, she still had the Trollhammer Torpedo attachment which she could install into the Drakegun as well as some shot and powder for her rifle and pistols. Overall, though, she hoped that at least she had enough ammunition to last her the journey back towards _Khazid Zon_.

Picking up the brace of her twin pistols which were placed in their holsters, she also made sure to grab a bullet pouch and the ornately engraved powder horn of which had once been the tusk of a particularly large Black Orc. The Engineer then took a seat across her companion and she got to work with reloading the pistols. She used the horn to carefully pour enough blackpowder into each barrel before placing the bullet inse while using a ramrod to make sure that everything was packed in, Runes of Reloading which were etched upon the handles of the pistols began to glow, allowing the Engineer to quicken the process.

Over the course of her travels across the Old World, Vanyra Skorrisdottir had acquired quite a bit of treasure gained from mercenary contracts, delving into lost ruins or other means that would have beggared belief which she often then used to purchase the components needed for maintenance of her weapons, the creation of new ones or simply the replacement of ammunition. The Engineer had also at times, acquired the assistance of _Ruebatuki_ Runesmiths in imbuing some of her equipment. Her pistols for example also carried aside from the Runes of Reloading, the Runes of Burning and Runes of Accuracy.

Among her other equipment of which was imbued with Dwarfish Rune Magic were her Repeater, Crossbow, an Imperial Grenade Launching Blunderbuss, her customized Handgun, Drakegun and amulet while the rest of her gear had been imbued by magicians from other races. While reloading her pistols, Vanyra noticed the curious look from her companion whose eyes were focused upon the firearms.

'Are those also what you call guns?' asked Sereda with curiosity.

'Yes' replied Vanyra as she held up one of the pistols and she sighted down the barrel with her left eye and pointing the business end in the direction of the door while adding 'it is called a Repeater Pistol.'

'And that one over there?' asked the other dwarf while looking at the rifle which was propped by the wall to Vanyra's right, next to her crossbow.

'That is a Handgun which I built and tinkered with myself' answered Vanyra with a great deal of pride for among her weapons, the scoped, long-barreled rifle was the very first weapon she had built and over the years, the Engineer had been making multiple improvements to its capabilities.

'Are you of the Smith Caste then?' questioned Sereda.

'I am of the _Endrinkuli_, a member of the Guild of Engineers' proudly announced Vanyra and again, her words only seemed to cause another questioning look from Sereda.

With a sigh, it seemed that the Engineer was going to have a lot of work to do in trying to figure out exactly where she was and how she would get back to the road towards Khazid Zon. As she was about to speak, Vanyra suddenly then heard a grumbling sound from her stomach for she had not had much time to eat since the whole thing with the Ogres started and her companion gave a hearty chuckle before another growl was heard from her.

'You don't happen to have anything to eat do you?' asked Sereda with a bit of embarrassment.

'Aye I do' replied Vanyra who set aside her brace of pistols and moved towards the neatly arranged pile of travelling supplies and she picked up a clay jar containing several strips of dried meat. The Engineer then walked towards her companion and opened the container before offering the other dwarf some. She then saw Sereda cautiously reach into it and pick up one strip while giving it a studious look.

'What is it?' Sereda then asked.

'_Traggot_' answered the Engineer 'it is broiled wolf-hide that has been dried over peat.' Vanyra then reached into the jar pulled out one strip of dried wolf before taking a bite and enjoying its taste. She noticed her companion giving the strip a wary look before biting into it.

'It's like chewing tanned leather' complained Sereda to which Vanyra just shrugged and took another bite while guessing that it just wasn't for everyone.

* * *

The lights of torches bathed the open cavern chamber with an orange glow as the smell of cooked flesh filled the air as they were roasted over fires. With arms folded upon its chest as it looked down towards one of its underlings, a Hurlock Vanguard clad in ornate and heavy armor of Dragonbone with a mighty four horned helmet, listened to the groveling report with disdainful eyes. The packs which the Vanguard had sent to secure the abandoned dwarf settlement near the fortified city had been almost obliterated with only one survivor, a severely burned Genlock making it back.

Raising its gauntleted right arm up to neck-level, the Vanguard made a throat slitting motion and two Hurlock Alphas quickly grabbed the arms of the sole survivor. The Vanguard did not tolerate failure, especially now when a New Master had been found. The burned Genlock struggled and tried to plead rather pathetically for its life as the Vanguard reached for the mighty silverite great sword it favored.

Once the weapon had belonged to a lone human warrior who had come to the darkness below and seeking death like so many others from time to time. The Vanguard had been eager to oblige the human and with both planning and skill, it underlings had slain the warrior with minimal losses. The Vanguard then claimed the human's sword as its own and ever since then, it had led many a successful assault against the dwarves.

Now that a New Master had been found and many of the Vanguard's kin were travelling to the south, it sought to prove itself in the eyes of the Master and become the greatest of leaders who would bring such destruction and pain upon those of the surface. Its plans to gain prestige though were now in dire jeopardy for the loss of so many warriors had greatly angered the Vanguard. Raising the great sword over its head, the Vanguard's sword blazed with fire as the runes that were etched upon the hilt worked their magic.

With a mighty overhead chop, the great sword descended upon the burned Genlock and the Vanguard felt the satisfying crunch of bone while flesh was parted beneath the sharp edge. The two-handed sword then passed through the body of the Genlock who fell away into two large pieces with each end being perfectly seared from scalp to groin. The Vanguard then looked to its gathered force which was composed of more than three hundred warriors which also included Ogres and Shrieks.

Raising its sword high into the air and unleashing a loud war cry, the voices of its kin rose up as well until the very stones trembled around them. Savagery and blood-lust filled the very beings of the Vanguard's followers as they raised their weapons high. Now was not the time to be hasty though for the Vanguard first needed to find out exactly what had destroyed so many of its warriors within such a short period of time.

Calling to the Shrieks, the Vanguard soon saw the lithe, gangling figures slowly walk towards it with the most senior members of their pack at the lead. The Ghouls and various other minions made way for the Shrieks who when angered had a way with making others disappear without a trace and later being found in many bloody pieces. Giving a quick series of orders to the Shrieks, the stealthy creatures obeyed the Vanguard's commands.

With a nod towards the Shrieks who departed from the camp, the Vanguard then turned its attention back into organizing its warriors into a fighting force worthy of the New Master's attention.

* * *

'So let me get this straight' asked Sereda Aeducan towards her companion while resting her forehead upon the palm of her right hand 'you are from a place called _Karaz-a-Karak_ which is the capital of an empire called _Karaz Ankor_, yes?

'Yes, that is what I said' replied the grey cloaked dwarf with some annoyance as she was now busily filling a metallic egg-like object with a black powdery substance.

'And this _Karaz Ankor_ is to the east? Within a place called the World's Edge Mountains?' questioned the Princess with skepticism for as far as she knew about Thedas, the east was where the nation of Ferelden was, along with an area called the Southron Hills and a mountain called the Dragon's Peak. After that though there was supposed be a forest and the ocean but definitely no actual mountain ranges. Sereda's companion nodded and the Princess groaned for the conversation they were having was only raising further questions and giving her no answers, could this _Karaz Ankor_ be someplace from across the ocean?

'Aye, my hometown of _Khazid Zon_ lies not far to the west of _Karaz-a-Karak_ about half a day's walk in the foothills of the forest near the Vale of Webs' replied the Engineer who then set the small metallic egg into a pouch on her belt and began working on another. Sereda creased an eyebrow at the mention of a forest for although she had of course never seen one, she was aware of exactly what a forest is.

'Are you from the Surface Caste then?' asked the Princess with confusion.

'Why do you keep saying Caste?' questioned Vanyra as she inserted what looked to be a stopper on the side of the metal egg.

'Well you said that you built many of those weapons, you carry a sword along with that hammer-looking thing and yet you fought the Darkspawn' replied Sereda for as far as she knew, anyone from the Surface Caste could have been any other Caste before going topside and had heard that some of those who were born there even completely ignored proper Caste protocols.

'So what if I can craft something weapons which I can use for fighting?' came the questioning voice of the grey cloaked dwarf.

'Isn't that against tradition?' Sereda then said 'only warriors or nobles should be bearing arms while the smiths are the ones who forge the weapons'.

'Tradition?' spoke Vanyra with an incredulous tone 'in _Karaz Ankor_, every dwarf learns how to fight, be they brewers, blacksmiths, miners, farmers, jewelers and all the way up to the Thanes.'

'What?! Your people allow even commoners to fight?' replied Sereda who found it absurd that the dwarves of this _Karaz Ankor_ would allow peasants to pick up weapons and defend themselves for that was the job of the Warrior Caste with Nobles such as herself to lead them.

'You sound like an _umgi_' grunted Vanyra then in a derisive manner as she rolled her eyes.

Sereda gave another look to the grey cloaked dwarf for she had no idea what that last word even meant. As the Princess was about to say something in response, she saw the head of her companion swiftly turn towards the door with one hand reaching the sword that lay close to her. Instinctively reaching for her own sword and dagger Sereda cautiously looked towards the doorway with wariness for it was strongly possible that a group of Darkspawn were outside.

'What is it?' asked Sereda as she stood up and drew her blades.

'There is someone outside' replied Vanyra who seemed to adjust her metal bracers which were worn over leather gloves for a moment before grabbing the sword and pulling it out from it sheath and walking towards the doorway.

'Wait' quietly hissed Sereda for she realized that if there were Darkspawn outside; they would be cornered and trapped without any way of escape. Carefully grabbing the handle of the doorway, Vanyra suddenly then pulled the door wide and she swiftly swung the blade up and the tip stopped merely a few inches away from the throat of another dwarf who was clad in black plate armor and a horned helmet.

'Whoah! Easy there _Salroka_!' came the surprised voice of the armored dwarf in the common tongue and Sereda quickly noticed the insignia on his chest. Hope fluttered within the heart of Sereda at the sight of a member of the Legion for they were skilled soldiers who knew the Deep Roads well. She then saw Vanyra lower her blade and the Legionnaire gave a sigh of relief and said towards the Sereda's companion 'those are some fast reflexes you have there.' Vanyra gave the Legionnaire a questioning look for she of course did not understand his words before turning her attention to Sereda.

'She does not speak common' said the Princess towards the Legionnaire who of course also seemed confused for as far as Sereda knew, almost everyone in Thedas could speak the common language which the dwarves themselves invented in the first place. Vanyra then gestured for the Legionnaire to come in and he did so before the grey cloaked dwarf closed the door to the Tomb.

'So what are two ladies like you doing out here alone in the Deep Roads?' asked the Legionnaire.

'I am on a mission' lied Sereda warily for while the Legion of the Dead were primarily focused on the task of killing Darkspawn, they still maintained regular contact with Orzammar and if people found out that she was still alive, Bhelen might send assassins after her.

'Uh huh' replied the Legionnaire who removed his helmet to reveal a tattoo faced, dwarf who had the confident stride of a Warrior Caste knight and it clearly seemed that he was unconvinced by her subterfuge. 'And what sort of mission could this be?' questioned the Legionnaire as he folded his arms.

'My Surface Caste friend here is from Orlais and is looking for a heirloom from her House that is lost within the Deep Roads' then said Sereda while Vanyra continued give them a questioning look.

'Oh? And what House did the surfacer hail from? And what Caste are you?' questioned the Legionnaire.

'House Ortan' replied Sereda in a confident manner 'I myself am of the Warrior Caste, House Saelac and I have been assigned as a bodyguard.'

'I see…' said the Legionnaire with skepticism and Sereda had a strong feeling that he wasn't buying it and he said 'well then if you are looking for the Ortan Thaig, you are searching the wrong place _Salroka_.'

'We were given bad directions and-' Sereda then said before the Legionnaire interrupted her with a hand raised and palm facing her.

'Look, just stop right there my lady' interjected the Legionnaire 'I can tell that you got that well-fed Noble Caste look on you and that you clearly aren't here on some sort of assignment.'

'Well I tried' shrugged the Princess who hoped that she could at least try to persuade the Legionnaire not to let people know that she was still alive because if not then she would have to kill him and well, the Legionnaires in general were some of the best fighters Orzammar had to offer.

'Right well, Warrior, Noble or Duster, no one comes here into the Deep Roads without a sizable group and back up' the Legionnaire then said 'the only people who come down here in a small group are scouts which I am sure you are not or those with a death wish, so what is it with you my lady?'

'If I told you, I need you to promise me not to let anyone know who I am' replied Sereda and the Legionnaire snorted with amusement and a slight mocking grin came over his blonde bearded face.

'My lady' he said 'most of us in the Legion have committed some sort of crime that would probably have us executed if we did things the way the cloud heads do it and even then, some of us have done the kind of things that would make some of the folk back in Orzammar even forget that we are part of the Legion.'

'I see, well can I be sure that I have your confidentiality in this?' asked Sereda who still felt uncertain and the Legionnaire nodded. With a deep sigh she then spoke while pounding her right fist over her heart 'I am Sereda Aeducan, second child of King Endrin'.

'You're the King's daughter!?' he then said with disbelief and surprise before becoming silent for a moment and he thought about her words before shaking his head and giving her a sympathizing look. 'Politics?' he asked and Sereda nodded 'well your identity is safe with me my lady, regardless of whatever you did, have you come to join the Legion then?'

'I am innocent' replied Sereda which caused the Legionnaire to give her another studious look. 'Really I am' she then said and it looked liked the Legionnaire really did believe her this time.

'Well that's politics then' shrugged the Legionnaire with resignation 'so what are you going to do about it?'

'I… I don't know' Sereda then said as she looked away for while some dwarves may also willingly join the Legion out of guilt, the Princess herself did not feel such a way. While the idea of heading back to Orzammar was highly tempting, she would likely be killed on sight by the guards or immediately be a target for assassination by Bhelen.

'You can head to the surface I suppose' the Legionnaire said as he then looked to Vanyra who had quietly gone back to working on her… things.

'The surface?' questioned Sereda who felt a bit of fear at the idea of going topside for she had never left the underground halls of Orzammar or the Deep Roads. The closest she had ever been was the gates across the Provings.

'Yes, I know of some tunnels that actually lead up there' the Legionnaire then said.

'But I will lose my connection to the Stone' Sereda then said with a hint of superstitious fear.

'I am sure by now your name would have been stricken from the Memories, so its not like you have anything else to lose' was the reply of the Legionnaire. 'Besides its actually not that bad, pretty cold though' Everin then said which further surprised Sereda for it seemed like a dereliction of duty to just go up there with so much Darkspawn still around. 'I was tracking some Darkspawn a while back recently and I noticed that quite a number of them were heading topside.'

'So the rumors are true? About the Blight?' whispered Sereda with some mixed feeling for it meant that there should be a lot less Darkspawn within the Deep Roads yet whenever Blights happened, the Darkspawn became more organized and were led by an Archdemon.

'I don't know for sure' responded the Legionnaire with a shrug 'there are still a lot of Darkspawn in these tunnels, not as much as before but enough to still be a serious threat to an entire battalion of Warrior Caste troops.'

'Well that's not comforting to hear' Sereda then said while crossing her arms.

'Just giving you the truth of the situation my lady' nodded the Legionnaire as he then looked to the Princess's companion. 'So what about her?' he asked.

'I really have no idea' Sereda then said as she looked to the auburn haired girl who was now adjusting some mechanism on her crossbow. 'She has some strange weapons though, really destructive, not like anything I have seen the Smith Caste make' added the Princess which caused another surprised look from the Legionnaire.

'You mean she was the one who killed all of those Darkspawn!?' he said with disbelief.

'I know, right?' answered Sereda 'like I said, she has weapons I have never seen before; I don't think even the golems would be capable of doing that much damage.' The Legionnaire then looked towards Vanyra and then to the organized piles of items which had been carried upon the mule.

'Well we can talk about it later I suppose but for now, I can take the two of you to one of our outposts, Isanammar' said the Legionnaire 'we have food, supplies, gear and solid fortifications.'

'A sound plan' Sereda then said 'I accept your offer, Ser?'

'Orlon, Everin Orlon' replied the Legionnaire while introducing himself and offering the Princess a formal bow. How fortunate thought Sereda who wondered if her own luck had finally begun to take a turn for the better.

* * *

_Sometime later…_

Quietly watching and listening to the two others dwarfs as Vanyra loaded another bolt into one of the copper and wood case magazines for her crossbow, the Engineer studied the words they spoke and made a number of mental comparisons to Breton and Reikspiel. There certainly was some similarities to the languages spoken by the races of Men and she remembered the foreign tongue spoken by the Truthsayer from Albion. For a moment, she wondered if somehow she had been magically transported to the misty island but was quick to think otherwise since after noticing the strangeness of the rock and stone around her.

Judging by the tones which Sereda spoke with the other dwarf, the one named Everin, she guessed that he was going to lead them someplace else. Better than being stuck in a tomb she thought with some relief for over the course of her travels, the Engineer had just about enough of delving into the resting place of some forgotten warlord who would just happen to rise up as some horrible undead monstrosity. After finishing up with filling the magazine, Vanyra then went about picking up the various items _Got_ had been carrying and placing them on the mule's back.

It was of course a lengthy process with the tattooed warrior offering her help which the Engineer declined with a shake of her head. Eventually when the last of her belongings had been loaded up, she looked to her companions and nodded to them. The tattooed warrior opened the door and led the way for both Vanyra and Sereda where they stepped back out into the open space which was called a _Thaig_.

Holding on to the mule's reins again with one hand while the other held on to one of her freshly loaded pistols, Vanyra cautiously scanned the surroundings for any danger. Her companions felt the same for Everin had drawn a pair of axes while Sereda drew her own two blades. The party of dwarfs and the mule then headed on a path northwards on the opposite end of the abandoned settlement from where they had first arrived and they passed the bones and corpses that still littered the area outside of the tomb.

Going through wide open tunnels once more with Everin to lead, Sereda behind him and the Engineer along with _Got_ at the back, Vanyra could not help but cautiously glance back from time to time to see if something was following them.

'Are you all right back there?' asked Sereda who switched back to Breton.

'I am fine' muttered the Engineer as she looked back again. 'So where are we going?' she then asked.

'We are heading to a Legion outpost' answered Sereda.

'Legion?' questioned Vanyra.

'The Legion of the Dead' explained Sereda 'they are a group of warriors who have been disgraced by some past crime and seek an honourable death in battle to atone for it.'

'I see...' Vanyra replied for she doubted that Sereda would even know of the Grim Brotherhood who were also known as the Slayer Cult.

This Everin though was certainly not dressed in any manner that would be befitting of a proper member of the Slayers, especially considering that he was wearing armour which as far as the Engineer was aware, only King Ungrim Ironfist of _Karak Kadrin_ did but his case was unique due to his twin Oaths as a King and as a Slayer. For a moment, Vanyra was reminded of one particular Slayer who had traveled alongside the Engineer across the Old World on many adventures.

Shaking away the nostalgic memory, she then heard a faint but light scrape of metal against stone from behind and the Engineer began to have that gut feeling again. Reaching into one of the side satchels on _Got_'s back, Vanyra pulled out a thick metallic disc which had three buttons placed on the center. Pressing the buttons a few times and entering a specific combination, the Engineer then tossed the disc over her shoulder as she continued to follow her companions.

It may have been something or nothing as far as she knew but even if she were within the _Ungdrin_, the Engineer would not want to take any chances. She would especially have to keep both eyes open from here on. Just to be sure though, she grabbed another just in case.

* * *

Wreathed in the shadows and darkness that was only natural in the world below, the Pack Leader of the Shrieks watched with a mixture of hunger and anticipation as the prey fled from them. Its predatory mind calculated the possibilities of their intended route and it came to the conclusion that they were heading to the fortified burrow to the north. It seemed to be most likely scenario it thought for there were not many other prey things that walked these tunnels.

Quietly ordering its pack mates to go after and stalk the dwarves, the other Shrieks eagerly obeyed and they quietly moved ahead while keeping themselves concealed. As they traveled down the tunnel, one of the other Shrieks noticed a metal disc object upon the ground and the Pack Leader hissed a command for the underling to avoid it. The lesser Shriek obeyed and further pursued the prey along with the rest of the pack until suddenly, the Pack Leader heard a sound that went _tick tick tick_.

Curious at this, the Pack Leader then saw the metal disc just jump up into the air and in a blink of an eye, the explosive mine detonated in a loud earsplitting bang. Shards of metal flew out in all directions, sending shrapnel across the section of the tunnel where the Shrieks were and many of the pack were immediately eviscerated with the Pack Leader among them. Those that survived quickly tried to get away by moving forward or backing away but those who did the former only ended up being caught in the second mine's explosion which sent out another deadly burst of metal fragments.

The Shrieks who had backed away quickly fled down the tunnel while creating a series of terrified, high pitched shrieking that echoed down the passage.

* * *

Sereda turned her head back with alarm as she heard the sound of two explosions which was greatly magnified within the enclosed space of the passage, her gloved hands instinctively tightened around the grips of the two blades she carried. The sound was quickly followed by the loud pitched shrieking of the stealthy breed of Darkspawn which appropriately were known as Shrieks.

'Darkspawn' growled the Everin as he took a step towards the source of the noise. Vanyra on the other hand did not seem worried and the Princess noted that the strange dwarf was lightly tapping the side of the "pistol" barrel to her right thigh.

'What are you doing? Asked the Princess towards the Engineer.

'Counting' replied Vanyra as she looked back again and then towards Sereda and Everin with a somewhat satisfied look.

'Counting for what?' questioned Sereda.

'To see if we are still being followed' was the reply of the Engineer. Sereda's eyes widened with alarm for if they were being followed by Shrieks then it would mean that the damn things might now be stalking them. 'We are not being followed now though' Vanyra quickly then said.

'How do you know that?' asked the Princess with skepticism.

'Don't you feel the vibrations?' asked the grey cloaked dwarf who was already starting to seem more and more different to Sereda in ways beyond what the eye could see. The Princess shook her head which drew another curious look from Vanyra.

'What is she saying?' came the voice of Everin who spoke in the Common Tongue for the Princess had been speaking to Vanyra in Orlesian.

'She says that there were Darkspawn following us but they have gave up the pursuit' replied Sereda which drew a questioning look as well from the Legionnaire. Everin suddenly then stopped and he knelt down before placing his hand to the ground and a surprised look came over his face.

'She… she felt that!?' asked the Legionnaire with disbelief for like all Dwarves with a proper Stone-sense, Sereda was just as capable of navigating through the Deeps via vibration and feel yet it often took quite a degree of concentration and practice to even be able to get it right and if her companion indeed did come from the surface, then she should not even be able to have such an ability. Sereda simply then shrugged towards the Legionnaire for already, she decided to expect the unexpected from the Engineer.

The group continued to travel onward down the passages where eventually they came to a chamber where a number of grisly effigies and fetishes made from the heads, severed limbs and bones of Darkspawn. The smell of it was just atrocious as well but it was nothing new to Sereda for even when alive, the Darkspawn were just foul in all ways with hygiene clearly being something they have very little care for.

'We use these as warnings to the Darkspawn' explained Everin as he spoke up and looked to a sharpened pole which had an entire Hurlock skewered through its groin with the point coming out of the thing's mouth 'great way to tell the bastards that if they come here and mess with the Legion, they will die like the rest'.

Sereda had to admit that she would agree with such a thing for she had seen the way Darkspawn like to "decorate" their encampments and putting a few of their heads on a pike was a great way to even the odds. The princess then heard a satisfied grunt from the Engineer who studied the effigies and the Princess could tell that her companion's eyes were focused on the head of one Ogre that was hanging from the bloody stump of its neck with twin metal spike protruding from its eye sockets.

'Tough bastard that one was' continued Everin in a grim tone as he also looked to the dead Ogre. 'Killed a few of my friends last week' he added 'so the rest of us repaid it by putting out its eyes with arrows and bolts before hacking off the legs and then the head once it was down.'

'Must have been a difficult battle' Sereda commented for she had never had the chance to fight an Ogre before and was perhaps glad to never had done so for they were supposed to be as mighty as golems. She had listened to the stories about dwarves who had faced such creatures and more darkly, she also witnessed the kind of horrific injuries they can leave.

'It was' replied the Legionnaire in a more quiet fashion as he began to have that look Sereda had seen soldier have when they recalled a battle. Everin then shook his head and gestured for them to further follow them. 'Watch yourselves around here' he then said 'we have set a number of deadly traps along this passage, I will guide you all in avoiding them.'

Oh joy thought Sereda who had absolutely no training in the way of spotting and disabling traps. The Princess then informed the Engineer who simply nodded and did not seem to bothered by the fact that they were probably going to enter a passage where just one wrong step would be the last mistake you could make.

* * *

Anger filled the very being of the Vanguard as it heard the report of two of the returned Shrieks whose hunting pack had mostly been wiped out by traps left behind by the dwarves. The creatures were supposed to be skilled in not only detecting such things but evading them as well and the fact that so many had died to it was a sign of sheer incompetence in the eyes of the Darkspawn leader. The two creatures were already held in the grasp of an ogre whose strong, meaty hands clenched the Shrieks at the back of their skulls and pressing their faces to the ground.

With a nod of its helmeted head towards the Ogre who grinned with feral blood-lust and excitement, the ogre easily crushed the skulls of the two Shrieks by simply tightening its grip until their heads popped with loud wet cracks. A tinge of fear washed over the other Darkspawn within the Vanguard's army as they looked to their leader, hoping to avoid its wrath. The Vanguard then turned its baleful gaze towards the others and they bowed down in obedience.

It seemed that the dwarves who had killed its other warriors were now on the move to one of the nearby strongholds where the black armored soldiers resided. It was fortunate that the Vanguard knew where it was and it quickly began ordering its army to make themselves ready. By the Vanguard's guess, the dwarves had probably managed to reclaim some of their lost, ancient weapon, something of terrible power.

If such was the case then it was possible that it would jeopardize the plans of the new Master. Yet if the Vanguard could claim it for itself and present it the new Master though, an eager, toothy grin was soon etched upon the teeth of the Vanguard as it realized that it may have found a way to attain the prestige it sought. But such would not be so simple it realized for the stronghold was well fortified.

Quickly calling out orders to its warriors, the Vanguard demanded for the fastest of them to come forward and another Shriek soon moved ahead with a great deal of fear being quite palpable from it. The Vanguard then ordered for the Shriek to send word to the nearest Brood Nest that they were planning for an attack and would have need for additional warriors. The Shriek obeyed with the creature being quite relieved and it scurried away.

They would also need weapons and armor of course for the new recruits and the Vanguard quickly ordered for the Genlocks to send word to the nearest Forgemaster of its plan. With both efficiency and speed, the Vanguard began readying its forces for glorious carnage.

* * *

To the further surprise and a bit of relief for Everin Orlon, the Princess and the stranger, along with the furry four legged pack beast had gotten through the trapped filled passage leading to the stronghold. The reason for his surprise though was the other girl, the one named Vanyra, had easily spotted the traps Everin and his comrades had set up and she had safely guided the pack beast around them. The way the grey cloaked girl had evaded the traps, it was as if she herself was intimately familiar with how to properly set one up.

The Legionnaire himself had become perhaps a bit distracted as well for he found the two women he traveled with being quite attractive. The Princess for sure with her Noble Caste bearing, fair skin and fine features along with the light brown hair that was styled in a manner with two braids that ran along the sides of her cheeks, another braid that looped behind and fourth that formed a noose like shape. The other girl, Vanyra was also pretty in a nicely plump manner but and was quite curious at the unusual gear and other items she carried.

Everin occasionally glanced back to items on the back of the pack beast and tried to etch their images upon his mind. Never had he seen such a bizarre and outlandish series of equipment for each was incredibly ornate in a manner that would make an elder of the Artisan Caste quite proud. He imagined that the old Vorne the outpost's Smith, would be very much intrigued to study what else the surfacer carried.

They soon exited the passage and entered a wide open cavernous space where at the far end was _Isanammar_. Carved from the rock and stone of the cavern itself, it was not as grand or as big as the great _Bownammar_ within the Dead Trenches but it was still a fine place where exactly seventy seven Legionnaires were billeted with enough space for thrice the amount. Glowing crystals could be seen lighting up the ceiling of the cavern and singing veins of Lyrium could be felt and heard from underneath, while giving the ground a soft glow here and there. The Lyrium deposits also served as a major source of income when supply runs back to Orzammar were made.

'Come on lets go' Everin then said to the women he was escorting 'my comrades inside will be glad to welcome you all.'

* * *

The approach to the fortified stronghold was one that filled Vanyra Skorrisdottir with a sense of relief as she saw the (somewhat) familiar, short figures patrolling the ramparts. Black banners depicting grim skull-like faces were placed across the walls along with golden Ancestor faces. The Engineer could also see the windows, murder-holes and the four turrets which had bolt throwers placed upon them.

As they drew closer to the stronghold, Vanyra took in the sight with a bit of trepidation as well for its superficial similarity only served to heighten how different it actually was when compared to the buildings crafted by the _Dawi_. At the opened gates of the bastion, two statues depicting dwarf warriors wearing horned helmets and shiny pauldrons that were coloured cyan while each of the hands of both warriors rested upon the butt of a twin bladed great axe. Armed living warriors wearing heavy black plate armour with the white skull-like insignia of this Legion of the Dead and armed with twin bladed great axes as well were standing guard in front of the statues, Vanyra could see their glittering eyes shining beneath the face concealing helmets they wore which notably lacked a beard guard.

If these warriors were sworn to find a glorious death in a similar manner as the Slayers were supposed to, then why were they equipped with such heavy armour? Among the Grim Brotherhood, the wearing of any sort of armour was seen as a cowardly practice which would only bring further shame to the Slayer in question. Again, the Engineer decided not to question it for now as these… "dwarfs" and their ways were becoming even stranger towards her.

A quick series of words were passed between Everin to one of the guards to their left and Vanyra noted the word "_Atrast Vala_ and_ Salroka_" which significantly had less of that crude mannish speech to it. The guards then allowed the group inside and the Engineer noticed the curious gazes of the black armoured warriors as they looked at her mule and then towards her. From the outside gate itself, she could already smell the familiar scents of soot, cooked meat (of what kind though, she had no idea), animal dung and most importantly, ale.

Although she had been travelling with a wooden beer keg of her own, Vanyra had been careful to ration what she had into small portions and the idea of drinking some fresh ale that had been properly stored was more than enough to whet her appetite. Trying to find out exactly where she was could wait first and for now she quickly decided was that a cold drink and a hot meal was in order.


	3. Migdhal

From atop a stone hill with arms crossed over its chest, the Vanguard watched the busy hive of activity within the camp. Fresh young warriors eager to prove themselves had already arrived from the Brood Nests with numbers that reached the many of hundreds. The new recruits swarmed around several carts which had been sent from the Forgemasters and were like Deepstalkers in a feeding frenzy, but rather than tearing off bloody gobbets of meat, they fought and brawled among one another to lay claim to the choicest of weapons and armor (the best of course had already been distributed among the veteran warriors of the Vanguard's army).

A few of these fights would inevitably end in fatalities which the Vanguard did not mind for it was an excellent method of weeding out the weak. The Vanguard then turned its attention to some of the Ogres who were busy equipping fresh pieces of armor to muscular bodies while their Alpha who was seated upon its haunches had ghoul slaves placing heavy plates across its bulk. On another side of the camp, the Emissaries accompanying the army were deep in meditation as they mentally prepared their repertoires of destructive spells for the tunnels leading into the dwarven bastion would make the transportation of war machines difficult, perhaps even next to impossible given their time frame.

This army which followed the Vanguard was nothing more than a droplet in the flood that was the horde now gathering in the south. The Hurlock commander would capture this fortress of the dwarves and from it; they would launch raids and assaults against the great city. Once the mountains and caverns were captured and repurposed for the Darkspawn, the Vanguard would lead the legions of its kin upon the surface and they would drown the world in blood...

* * *

Never in all the recent travels and many adventures across the Old World had it prepared Vanyra Skorissdottir for the horrible excuse of ale which she was currently drinking for it was as if she were drinking coloured water mixed with dirt. Slamming the now emptied mug which had contained a black liquid upon the stone table in front of her and suppressing the urge to retch, the drink was so bad that it reminded the Engineer of Bretonnian Beer! Quickly reaching for one of the many small pieces of breaded meat which was placed in a nearby ceramic bowl, the Engineer then dipped it into a separate small bowl with a cream sauce before popping the whole piece into her mouth to be rid of the foul taste, the food in general seemed good and in particular, the meat of the rabbit-pig creatures they called Nugs was quite delicious.

Around her were many other dwarfs, soldiers of this Legion of the Dead with tattoos across their faces which formed grim patterns while there were also couple of others without the tattoos who oddly looked like they wouldn't know how to properly hold an axe. They all sat within a wide circular chamber with many long rectangular tables where the people in the hold dined. Some caroused and drank with as much revelry as can be expected of dwarfs while others sat in a brooding silence, probably thinking of whatever shame had led them into such a path which seemed similar to that of the Slayers.

One of the first things Vanyra immediately noted among these other dwarfs was that there were a surprisingly large number of female members who carried themselves with the confident stances of professional fighters. Among the male dwarfs, she was also surprised to find that more than a few of them were quite shockingly, beardless! The sight of these bare chinned dwarfs drew a stunned look from the Engineer while those around them did not seem bothered by it any way and indeed it even looked quite normal to their eyes.

Seated next to Vanyra was her companion, Sereda who quietly ate as well but clearly was none too pleased by the current fare. She was now dressed in simple clothing with her two swords sheathed and tied to her back. The Engineer of course chose to keep her mail armour on with her weapons sheathed to the sides and attached to her belt via a short length of bronze chain was a thick, hard-bound book that was sealed by a leather strip which was connected to a runic bronze runic disc at the center of it. This particular item, she had begun to keep close to her after arriving at the fortress for it was extremely precious to the Engineer.

'I am more used to finer dishes and garments' quietly said Sereda with some disdain as she used a spoon to scoop out some crunchy yet gooey meat from the shell of a cooked beetle which was held down by a fork 'still, it is much more of an improvement compared to being out there in the Deep Roads'.

'I take it you are from a wealthy clan or caste then?' asked Vanyra for she had also noted the way her companion seemed to take a moment to study certain things before giving it a mildly disdainful look in a similar way which manling nobles or elves did when "mingling with their lessers".

'I am yes' replied Sereda with a bit of pride before eating her scoop of cooked beetle.

'So what were you doing down there then with no guards?' questioned the Engineer for among the _Dawi_, Thanes and Lords often traveled with their retainers or companies of Hammerers to guard them.

'Ah you know, that is... well…' answered with some hesitation before grabbing a nearby pitcher filled with more of the foul black beer and she refilled her mug before taking a big gulp which was followed a loud cough from her companion. 'Ancestors, that is terrible!' exclaimed Sereda

Giving a polite cough to her companion, Sereda then began to recount her story to the Engineer who listened to the tale with undivided attention.

* * *

Within the armory of Isanammar, Everin Orlon put on a fresh pair of Veridium Chainmail gloves which completed the set of armor he now wore before acquiring from the stone rack to his left, a leather quiver filled with arrows. He then picked up his bow and axes which had been freshly polished before putting on a dwarf-forged helmet of Veridium for he was (on his own accord) about to go back out into the Deep Roads again. He had only taken a short break which included a quick meal of dried rations and a pint of ale and he packed enough supplies for up to two days.

He had already made his report to the commander in charge of Isanammar, a senior Legionnaire named Noran Brodens of his discovery of the two girls he had met in Deep Roads and the unusual weaponry which the one named Vanyra carried; it was something which the Legion Commander had become deeply interested in. Everin had also attempted to hide the identity of Sereda but one of the Legionnaires who had once been a palace guard in the Diamond District immediately recognized the Princess. The Commander became especially intrigued by Sereda's appearance but as of why though, Everin did not know.

The Legion Commander had of course, agreed that it would be best if the Princess's identity was kept secret from Orzammar for the time being as the news of Prince Trian's death which supposedly had been committed at the hands of Sereda had already reached their ears and it would only invite trouble to the Legion if the new heir to the throne had learned that they were harboring the Princess. The Commander was probably now deciding on whether they should try to recruit the Princess for they had also heard of her recent victories in the Provings or if they should send her off, perhaps to one of the tunnels which connected to the surface.

Whatever was the Commander's decision, it would no longer be Everin's duty for as ever, he was eager to be out there in the Deep Roads, trying to find the death he had vowed to seek. Hearing then heard footsteps within the hall leading to the armory which then stopped at the doorway. There was a click from the stone and iron door which was slowly pushed open to reveal a blue eyed, tan skinned dwarven woman with red hair, which was into a ponytail and like the rest of the death seekers, she also had an intricate pattern of grim tattoos upon her face and was dressed in black massive plate armor with the skull head insignia of the Legion upon the chest piece.

'Hey' said Everin with a slight smile and he saw Kajja give him one as well, she said nothing to him for the woman had once been a member of the Silent Sisters who ritually cut out their own tongues.

If there was one thing in the world that would have given Everin Orlon a reason to live it would have been Kajja for in all the time he had been with the Legion, he had fought in many battles alongside her and had gotten to know her well through writing or sign language. He had heard stories from the surface about things like love at first sight which he had once thought to be nothing more than a good laugh but now though, he thought otherwise. Of course, being part of the Legion made relationships especially between fellow Legionnaires difficult, as such they have never acted out their feelings towards one another, despite both knowing of the mutual attraction.

It was not lost upon Everin that the only woman he had ever truly considered the notion of settling and having kids with, was someone who like him, was sworn to find death. Perhaps in another life he sadly thought as the former Silent Sister stepped in and moved to a rack where several great swords were propped by. He saw her take one Dragonbone blade which was had a grip that was wrapped with Bronto leather and upon the center of the guard was the circular symbol of House Almas.

'So where are you heading off to?' asked Everin and Kajja preformed a series of hand signals which translated _Patrol, Darkspawn sightings, north of Caridin's Crossing_. 'Perhaps I can accompany you?' offered the Legionnaire Scout with another slight smile and the former Silent Sister nodded while returning the expression.

There were times Everin wondered if perhaps the reason why he had not found his death yet was that deep down, he held on to his one reason to live far more tightly than he even realized.

* * *

After finding a corner within the hall to speak more privately, Sereda Aeducan had told her story to her companion. Vanyra Skorissdottir had listened to the tale of how the Princess had been unjustly exiled and was both shocked and appalled by the fratricide committed by Bhelen as well as the fight Sereda had against the mercenaries who were waiting for her at the Aeducan Thaig.

'You're younger brother had your older one murdered!?' blurted Vanyra quite loudly in Orlesian which drew the attention of more than a few other nearby dwarves.

'Yes and he hired a group of mercenaries to try and kill me' replied Sereda who originally thought that they had been hired out by Trian.

'And you killed other dwarves as well!?' exclaimed Vanyra with a mixture of disbelief and even accusation.

'It was in self defense!' answered back the Princess 'don't dwarves from your homeland fight among each other as well?'

'No! Morgrim's Beard no!' quickly replied Vanyra with disgust 'there are clans that have grudge-feuds but ones that lead to bloodshed is extremely rare, in fact I have only heard of one such ongoing conflict in my time.'

'So what? the dwarves from Karaz Ankor actually bother to get along with each other?' questioned the Princess with much skepticism.

'Most of the time yes, we _Dawi_ do not spill the blood of other _Dawi_, well except for…' replied Vanyra who trailed off and looked as if she was about to say something before immediately silencing herself.

'Except for?' asked Sereda with a raised eyebrow before Vanyra immediately shook her head.

'The majority of Clans of Karaz Ankor are united with one another, even those from the realms of the Grey Mountains, The Black Mountains and distant Norsca work together to ensure our mutual survival' said Vanyra with finality but there was something which Sereda felt that her companion was keeping from her.

'I see… so how is it, your people are capable of such unity?' questioned Sereda who began to find the ways of these other dwarves, these _Dawi_ as her companion insisted that they called themselves, to be rather strange but at the same time, admirable if a bit unbelievable.

'Because we have to' replied Vanyra as she opened up a leather pouch on the side of her belt and removed a polished ivory pipe 'if we were divided like humans are, our entire race would have been wiped out ages ago.'

'Are your people constantly at war as well?' asked Sereda.

'Aye we are and always have been' nodded Vanyra as she gently clenched the tip of her pipe between her teeth and pulled out from the same pouch, a small box which was opened to reveal dried plants within.

'For my people, the _Dwarva_, we have been at war against the Darkspawn for many generations' said Sereda who considered herself well versed in dwarven history 'once we had a mighty empire that spanned across Thedas but now, we are just down to two cities.'

'I know what that is like' growled Vanyra with some resentment while packing some of the dried plants into the bowl of the pipe 'we _Dawi_ have lost many of our holds against the _Urk_, _Grobi_, _Ogri_, _Thagorraki, Uzkular, Dumal _and not to mention the damages caused by those damned dodgy, backstabbing, Oath-breaking, beardless, lying _Elgi _of cursed Athel Loren.

'That is a lot of enemies' Sereda then said with some amazement as she then asked 'they are not all aligned together are they?'

'Hah! Thankfully no, they are separate foes who fight each other as much as they do to us' replied Vanyra as she then set aside the small box of dried plants and pulled out another small box which contained small sticks of wood. Then picked up one stick and struck the end on the side of the box, causing the stick to ignite with fire which she then placed to the inside the pipe bowl. 'The _Urk_ and _Grobi_ work together most of the time but are often happen enough to fight each other' explained Vanyra ' they along with the _Thagorraki_ are the ones most responsible for the loss of our holds'.

'But surely your people have friends and allies they can turn to?' asked Sereda for while Orzammar usually stood alone against the Darkspawn, they often could count on the Grey Wardens to assist them in fighting the ancient enemies of her people.

'Aye we do have "friends"' nodded Vanyra while supping from the thin end of the pipe which she then offered to Sereda who politely declined. 'The humans of the Empire, as untrustworthy and stupid as they can be at times are our chief allies' continued the Engineer with some disdain while exhaling a puff of smoke away from Sereda's face 'the _elgi_-loving humans of Bretonnia sometimes assist us in fighting the _Urk_ and _Grobi_ and those haughty _elgi_ from Ulthuan have enough sense to help us fight against the _Dumal_ before buggering back to their fancy island.'

Sereda had noted the general disdain in the voice of Vanyra as she spoke of these allies, especially towards humans and was somewhat confused as of why these "_elgi_" were both allies and enemies of the _Dawi_. 'I take it that you are not very fond of them?' asked the Exiled Princess.

'Hmph! Don't get me started!' announced Vanyra as she took another puff and began to become more agitated 'some of them are alright but most of them, the humans especially are paranoid, superstitious buggers who are always fighting each other for stupid reasons like "those folk from the next village are worshipping a different god, that lord insulted my honor so we should settle it with war, those fellows are talking with a different accent thus they must be foreign invaders!"'.

'I think we should just continue this another time' Sereda then said as her companion grew even more flustered before nodding with a grunt before grumbling under her breath in the same rumbling language which she had called _Khazalid_.

The dining hall was now mostly cleared out with only a few Servant Caste members cleaning up after the Legionnaires. Now that she was within the Legion stronghold, protected by thick walls with food, drink and a warm hearth nearby, she wondered exactly what she should be doing next for joining the Dead Caste was definitely not something she had in mind. The idea of going to the surface though had crossed her mind for she remembered how Gorim said that he would attempt to have a life up there but she did not know where he would be going or what he would do.

By Sereda's guess, Gorim might probably become a hired bodyguard for some Surface Caste Merchant or perhaps a sellsword. For all she knew, her Second could have already gone west to Orlais, east to Ferelden or even north to the lands of the Free Marches or even the Tevinter Imperium. It was frustrating to the Princess who already realized that without the looming certainty of death, her thoughts were now consumed by the fairly good possibility she would never see Gorim again.

The feeling of not knowing was perhaps the worst aspect of it for there was still a part of her that hoped she would find her second. Calling to one of the nearby servants, a young fellow who had been busy wiping down a stone table, she then asked for another two mugs of black ale and the servant obeyed. The Princess brooded there for a moment, her thoughts still occupied by the future and at the time the servant came back with a tray carrying the two drinks, she gave the dwarf a slight nod and a quick word of thanks before immediately taking a swig of it.

The beer burned the back of her throat and it gave Sereda a nice sense of warmness in her belly for she needed the drink. Vanyra seemed content to smoke her pipe as she too was lost in her own personal thoughts. There was a moment of silence which passed between the two and as soon as Sereda finished the mug, she heard Vanyra speak.

'So what are you going to do about this exile of yours?' asked the Engineer while still smoking.

'I am undecided for now' shrugged the Princess 'but I think I am leaning more with the idea of going topside.'

'So why don't you?' questioned Vanyra in as if such a deed was but a trivial thing and probably was to the strange ways of this other dwarf.

'I was unjustly exiled and for sure and my name has been stripped from the Memories' explained Sereda with gravitas 'but if I go up there, I will lose my connection to the Stone.'

'What!?' was all her companion said with disbelief and once again their conversation was interrupted as they heard the clattering of plate armor moving towards them.

They both immediately noticed two black armored Legionnaires moving towards them with weapons sheathed and shields upon their backs, both of the Dead Caste soldiers wore helmets which concealed their faces and only allowed their eyes to be seen.

'The Legion Commander requests for your presence my lady' said one of the Legionnaires in the Common Tongue 'and your companion as well.'

Wary of the Legionnaire using the words, "my lady" Sereda feared that Everin had told their commander who she was.

'What is this about?' coolly asked Sereda while maintaining a calm attitude.

'The Commander simply wishes to discuss something with both you and your friend' was all the Legionnaire said and the Princess knew it would be foolish to refuse. Quickly translating it into Orlesian for Vanyra, her companion nodded and agreed before standing up from her seat.

Quietly hoping to the Ancestors that no one knew who she was, Sereda soon followed the two Legionnaires to the office of their Commander.

* * *

Letting loose a loud shout from the top of its lungs, the Vanguard ordered its army to march and immediately did its troops respond with roars of acknowledgement. The Darkspawn horde filed into a single wide tunnel with each member striding forth shoulder to shoulder and moving as quickly as they can. Although the Vanguard had gathered quite the army, it was still only a relatively small force which would immediately be overwhelmed if the dwarves of the great city were given the time to marshal their own military troops.

Speed was the greatest weapon they had now for already the Vanguard had sent ahead units of scouts composed of Shriek or Genlocks with the latter equipped with bows and one handed weapons. The scouting groups would range ahead and keep an eye out for dwarves or any threats that may alert the city to their presence while making sure the path was clear. Hopefully, these scouts would not be incompetent bunglers like the ones he had earlier sent.

An eagerness that was fuelled by barely restrained bloodlust motivated the Vanguard who began to look forwards to this coming battle. Perhaps once the bastion was taken, they would turn it into a Brood Nest and from there, they would begin launching assaults against the city. The Vanguard grinned at the thought of being able to break down the gates of the dwarf city and delivering its riches to the New Master for surely such a mighty deed would elevate its position.

Ordering its warriors to quicken the pace, the Vanguard knew that the rest of horde anticipated the bloodshed as much as the Darkspawn leader and it knew that it could count on that once the fighting began.

* * *

Escorted by the pair of black armored Legionnares, Sereda and Vanyra were brought towards a narrow hall and towards a single door of stone and iron. One of the warriors rapped his gauntleted knuckles upon the door and a deep masculine voice called out from behind it and the same fellow pushed it open. Ushered inside of a small room which was half the size of the princess's own quarters back in the palace, she found two older male dwarves expectantly waiting for them by a circular stone table.

The room itself was hexagonal in shape with glowing shards of brilliant fire crystals which dangled from the ceiling and providing both illumination and warmth. Lined up along the walls were stone shelves with many books, stone tablets and rolled up pieces of parchment paper, some of it looked to be old and crumbling. On the stone table, she saw several maps, most of which had markings written on it with a depressingly large amount of marks which depicted a thaig or outpost that was lost to the Darkspawn.

One of the older dwarves was a red and grey bearded warrior in black massive plate with a two handed hammer across his back. Scars ran across the face of this old fighter who stood in contrast to his companion who was a grey bearded elder who was dressed in the apron and garments of a senior member of the Smith Caste. Oddly though, there was something familiar about the Legion Commander leader which the Princess could not be sure why.

'_Atrast Vala _Lady Aeducan' greeted the Legion Commander with a respectful salute which surprised the Princess by a little and the Smith offered the same greeting.

'_Atrast Vala_' saluted Sereda with a formal tone.

'You don't remember me? Do you child?' asked the Legion Commander in a more casual and friendly manner and Sereda apologized while shaking her head. 'Well allow me to make a formal introduction to you then' said the older dwarf 'I am Commander Noran once of the Warrior House Brodens and this here is Master Olek Vorne of the Smith Caste.'

Sereda's eyes widened as she immediately remembered who the commander was. When she was still a child, her father had a Warrior Caste general who served as one of his chief advisors in the endless conflicts against the Darkspawn. Noran Brodens had been a well respected member of Orzammar's army who Sereda remembered as of being quite nice to her, she then remembered something about a botched campaign to reclaim a _Thaig_ with the general being the sole survivor of.

Deciding that it would be best not to bring up the bad memory, the Princess then gave a formal greeting to both of the old dwarves and she introduced herself and Vanyra towards them.

'_Gnollengrom_' greeted the Engineer in her own foreign tongue which at least sounded formal and respectful.

'I understand your friend here does not speak Common?' asked the Commander.

'No she does not' replied Sereda who continued to explain 'I have only been able to speak with her in the Orlesian tongue.'

'What of other languages?' eagerly asked the old smith.

'Well I think I heard her speak in the language of Anderfels' said Sereda which seemed to give some elation to the smith who then looked to Vanyra.

'_Hallo mein frau, sprechen sie Ander?_' said the smith which drew a surprised look from the Engineer.

'_Ander? Meinst du nicht Reikspiel_?' questioned Vanyra with some confusion.

Leaving the two of them to talk about, whatever it was they were discussing, Sereda then turned her attention back to the former general and asked 'is there anything I can help you with Ser?'

'Nothing in particular' replied the Legion Commander who then had a somewhat sad look and he continued to speak in a more regretful tone 'listen child, your father is still my king and even with all these years of self exile, my loyalty to him and House Aeducan remains as hard as the Stone itself.'

Sereda did not like where this was going for this seemed to be the sort of thing someone would say before giving bad news.

'Unfortunately, we cannot have you here in Isanammar or the Legion' said the Legion Commander which shocked Sereda 'please understand that having you hear can be a source of great trouble with Orzammar, especially now that your younger brother, Bhelen is the sole heir to the Throne.'

Again with sodding Bhelen! Bristled Sereda as she wanted nothing more than to march up to the Palace and drive a sword down her brother's throat. She could understand why they would not want her in the Legion for she had no doubt that Bhelen would want to make sure that she was dead. Sereda would also not be surprised if her brother would bribe, manipulate and perform various other acts which could indirectly hurt the Legion, such as convincing members of the Smith Caste to forge less weapons and armor for the Legion or denying them supplies and making up lies to cover the tracks.

'I need to know though, did you do it?' came the questioning voice of the Commander who gave her a serious and studious look like the one Harrowmont gave her 'did you really kill Prince Trian?'

'I am innocent' answered Sereda as she looked the Legion Commander in the eye and like Harrowmont she saw it on his face that he believed her.

'It seems not much has changed in Orzammar, has it?' sighed the Commander with resignation as he moved to a nearby chair and he sat himself down. 'Every year, more and more of our people are killed in the fighting against the Darkspawn and if it's not them then it's each other' spoke the Commander and Sereda could not help but agree for too many times has she seen or heard accounts of bloodshed within the courts while Darkspawn still threatened them.

'It is way things are' sighed Sereda who privately had more than a few disagreements with the traditions of her people and she felt that it often did more harm than good 'I don't think anything will change that.'

'Aye nothing will I am afraid' said the old warrior while shaking his head. 'You and your friend can stay here for a few days' said the Legion Commander 'I will have extra weapons, armor and supplies set aside along with a scout to guide you to the surface.' Well that's it thought Sereda for it seemed that she really was going topside.

'Thank you Commander' bowed the Princess who despite her apprehension of going to the surface, she was genuinely grateful for being given this chance.

'Don't thank me child' replied the Legion Commander 'I still consider myself a loyal follower of House Aeducan and I think your father would have preferred that if not Trian, then you should be on the Throne.'

* * *

Finding the dwarfs of this realm to be even stranger and stranger, Vanyra's opinion of them was further reinforced by the two elderly dwarfs who inhabited the room with them. Both of them had the faces to show their venerable ages with beards that was already graying for one and completely grey for the other and yet, the length of their facial hair hardly reached passed their chests! Even beardlings her age could grow their facial hair to greater lengths!

'I am told that you have some… "interesting" devices with you, is that true?' asked the elderly graybeard named Olek Vorne who as dressed like a smith and speaking in an oddly accented Reikspiel which he insisted was called Ander.

'Aye, What of it?' replied Vanyra Skorrisdottir with arms crossed for she noted the way which the elder had been looking at some of the objects which she carried such as the repeater pistols.

'May I see one?' asked the greybeard in an eager tone and the Engineer gave a somewhat annoyed grunt for on numerous occasions on her travels, she had encountered Men and even a few Halflings who became more than a little interested with her devices and often they wanted to see what such things could do as if she were some travelling entertainer. Some even tried to steal such devices which ended rather poorly for the would-be thief.

Reaching into one of her pouches with her right hand, the Engineer produced a round, hand-held, gilded pocket clock which was decorated with an ancestor face on both ends and a length of also gilded light chains which connected to its bow. Using her thumb to flip open the pocket clock, she saw the amazement in the eyes of the elder as he looked to the glass covered, thin ivory disc which had painted near the edges, the Khazalid numerals of _Ong_ to _Duz _and at the center was a miniature bronze dwarf holding a pick and a hammer with the former representing hours and the latter for minutes. If one would put their ear close to it, they could hear the soft ticking as the tiny cogs and gears kept the portable clock going.

'It's a clock isn't it? But one so small that it perfectly works!' observed the elder with fascination as he studied the pocket clock for a moment before closing the cover and studying the intricate Ancestor face.

'I built it myself' announced Vanyra with some pride for at times during her travels, she would assemble clockwork devices ranging from small toys for human children to regular clocks and even music boxes in an effort to help raise funds which were constantly dwindling with the party she once traveled with.

'You did?' asked the elder as he handed the pocket clock back to Vanyra who put it back in its pouch. 'But you look so young!' said the graybeard with surprise 'did you study under any great mechanic up in the surface?'

'No I did not' replied Vanyra 'I studied Engineering in Zhufbar under The Master Engineer Jotun Firebeard and it was there that I officially became a member of the Engineer's Guild.'

'Zhufbar?' questioned the elder with some confusion 'you are not from Kal-Sharok or the Surface Caste?'

'No, I am not' repeated Vanyra with some annoyance for she just had the same conversation with Sereda earlier.

'What else do you have with you?' asked the greybeard and warily, Vanyra removed one of her rune-etched repeater pistols which she presented to him.

'And what is this?' asked the greybeard with curiosity as he studied the multi-barreled firearm.

'Now this is a repeater pistol' explained the Engineer 'it uses a controlled explosion from a charge of blackpowder to propel a small round lead ball through the barrel and causing it fly towards a target at a deadly velocity.'

'Fantastic!' announced the greybeard who eagerly asked 'can you show me how it works!?'

'Oh that well' replied Vanyra with a bit of embarrassment 'I would be proud to give you a demonstration, but I do not have much blackpowder and I would rather conserve what I have left for the road back home'.

'I see…' said the greybeard as he looked like he began to make some mental calculations 'we do have some things down in my workshop which may be like this blackpowder of yours'.

'Really then?' questioned Vanyra with a mix of skepticism and intrigue for some extra blackpowder would be useful but there was also a chance that that whatever he might offer would be completely useless at best or at worst, unstable and dangerous.

'Aye, how about a trade lass?' offered the greybeard 'you show me some of your inventions there and you can help yourself to some of our stores in the workshop?'

'Hmm, perhaps you can show me what you have first before deciding' replied the Engineer and the greybeard nodded in agreement. The smith then turned to Sereda and announced something their own tongue and the supposed Princess gave her curious look before Vanyra nodded.

'I will be fine, worry nothing about it' Vanyra said in Breton and her companion nodded before turning her attention back to the other greybeard in black armour.

'Shall we go then?' asked the greybeard in an eager voice.

'I brought a pack mule that is carrying most of my belongings' Vanyra replied 'I have a lot of other things on his back which you may be interested in looking at.'

'Of course, I will send some apprentices to assist you' said the greybeard with a smile.

* * *

The patrol of Legionnaires passed through the Singing Field in front of Isanammar with the many veins of Lyrium underneath and they traveled southwest. Aside from the Legionnaire Scout, Everin Orlon and the former Silent Sister, Kajja, there were two other dwarves who accompanied them. One of them was a warrior named Vetek who wielded an axe and shield while the other was a twin mace wielding berserker named Bargrin who had been a Casteless Duster, both of whom also wielded weapons made from Dragonbone.

With the exception of the Legion Scout himself, the rest of his party wore the signature black massive armored sets of the Legion. The only way to tell one from another was to see what weapons each Legionnaire carried. Everin himself was the only one who carried a ranged weapon while the rest carried only melee weapons.

Not far from the passage where Everin had brought the two girls and the pack beast, the Legionnaire Scout and his current party arrived at the entrance to another tunnel which had been cleverly disguised with surface magic. One of the other Legionnaires handed him a runestone which was slightly larger than his thumb and Everin spoke some magic nonsense which caused the stone to softly glow and a large rock which appeared before them had become transparent like glass.

He had no idea how the Legion had convinced some mage from the surface to come down there and make the secret entrance and his best guess was that maybe it was a Grey Warden. He did not care much for how it got there and all that mattered to him was that it was enough to fool Darkspawn and any trespasser that there were just some rocks. Taking point with bow and arrow in hand, the Legion Scout moved into the tunnel with his party following him.

Unlike the main tunnel which was not concealed and laid with traps, this one was fairly safe with the only dangers being the occasional cave beetle. The Legionnaires traveled through this hidden tunnel which connected to several more, each one ended with a magic rock that concealed it along with acting as the doorway. Had Everin brought one of the runestones with him, he would have used it earlier when he escorted the two girls but in the end, that ended well enough with no one getting hurt.

They eventually exited out of a tunnel and into a wide cavern chamber which should be northwest of Caridin's Cross.

'Let's go Legionnaires' spoke the gravelly voice of Vetek and the party carried on into the darkness of the Deep Roads.

Knowing the tunnels quite well, the Legionnaires made quick progress as they took the shortest routes, often through sections where the Darkspawn had dug through the walls of the ancient corridors. They expertly evaded the nests of creatures such as giant spider and deepstalkers with no unnecessary fights breaking out until finally, they managed to find their first signs of the Darkspawn which came in the form of a Bronto carcass.

From what Everin could see, it seemed that the unfortunate creature had been one of the feral breeds and that it had been attacked by a party armed with ranged weapons for he found the broken heads of arrows and crossbow bolts lodged into the dead animal. Several parts of its flesh and meat had also been carved away and in some parts, he found bite marks which were consistent with the teeth of Genlocks and by his guess, it had been either been a hunting party or a scouting one.

The carcass itself was still warm which meant that the Darkspawn could not be that far away. By the body of the Bronto, Everin had spotted bloodied footprints which went down a tunnel that going eastward and by his guess; it was a group that numbered around a dozen. Following the tracks with weapons at the ready, the Legionnaires headed east with Everin still leading the way and the massive armor which his companions wore created a loud clatter that echoed down the ancient corridors.

After about a quarter of an hour, they spotted movement up ahead with the squat outlines of Genlocks.

'There they are' eagerly came the deep voice of Bargrin as he took a series of practice swings with his maces.

'Standard formation Legionnaires' spoke Vetek as he took a step forward while moving into a defensive stance.

Kajja and Bargrin stayed behind the shield bearer with Everin holding on to his bow with an arrow ready. Lining up a shot with a Genlock straight ahead, one of the foul creatures immediately spotted their party and he released the arrow which straightly flew into its neck before it could shout a warning to its kin, not that it would have been needed by the rest. A loud, unified series of bloodthirsty roars were heard as the Genlocks spotted the Legionnaires and they charged the group with twin weapons raised.

'Step right up lads! I got plenty of death for everyone!' roared Bargrin as he clanged the heads of his twin maces together.

Releasing another arrow which struck a genlock over where a person's heart should be, the monster was immediately felled before another was killed by an arrow to the left eye. By the time he had drawn his fourth arrow, the Darkspawn were already upon them with one Genlock having its face bashed in by Vetek's shield, two were cut down by a cleaving swipe from Kajja and another two had skulls cracked open by Bargrin.

Firing one last shot that hit the left arm of a Genlock, between the elbow and the shoulder, the monster was immediately cut down by Vetek's axe before he expertly blocked the strike of another. The Legionnaire Scout then sheathed his bow and he drew his twin axes before launching himself into the battle. The Legionnaires fought with great skill and ferocity, they each had little regard for their own lives as a good death was all they sought but against this scouting party of Genlocks who were all equipped with light armor, none was found for the battle was quick, brutal and ultimately, one sided.

In less than a minute, the last of the Genlock party fell with its head collapsing in a grisly shower as Bargrin's maces slammed into both sides.

'Bah! Too easy!' complained the Castless Duster with contempt as he rested the bloody heads of both his weapons upon his shoulders.

'Not a very big group, lightly armored' commented Everin as he studied the equipment of one Genlock that had to the side of its belt, a rusty hook with a piece of butchered bronto meat attached to it. 'I think this was more of a scouting party' concluded the Legion Scout for in his experience, even hunting parties tended to wear heavier armor and that they still left a good bit of meat on the Bronto which could have fed a Casteless family for a while.

'So where is the rest of the sodding bastards?' eagerly asked Bargrin.

'I am sure it would be the opposite way which we came' spoke Vetek as he wiped down his axe blade with a clean rag.

'Right so let's have at em!' roared Bargrin.

'Wait' interjected Everin 'those Darkspawn were heading east and then they were doubling back, they could have set up traps ahead.'

'We should see if they did set anything, can't have some poor sods wandering into them' said Vetek and the Legionnaires unanimously agreed and the Shield Bearer added 'you take point Scout, we will watch the rear.'

Sheathing his axes by his sides with the heads resting upon loops of leather, the Legion Scout moved on with the others to watch his back and after a few minutes of travelling further ahead, he found his assumption to be true again. Traps had been laid out on the tunnel which headed towards Orzammar, some were cunningly placed and hidden while others were placed with less skill. Being highly experienced himself in the knowledge of traps and locks, Everin then began disabling each of the devices one by one.

The first trap he disabled was a simple Spring Trap which was followed by a Small Shrapnel Trap and then a Large Claw trap. Most of what he found were the cheap and easy to make sorts of traps which along with the low quality materials used for the weapons and armor of the Genlocks which also had a sort of, freshly forged sort of quality to it. In his mind, there were two possible scenarios; either they had encountered a scouting party who had been down on their luck in finding good equipment from the rest of their kin, or more worryingly, they encountered a small group that was part of a much larger force that had been hastily equipped.

Considering that many of the Darkspawn were heading far to the south, it seemed likely that the enemy's smiths would indeed be constantly forging weapons with the idea of quantity over quality in mind for even in normal times, the monstrous bastards would be swarming the tunnels. Keeping this to himself for now and already thinking of the report he would give to the Legion Commander back in Isammar, he soon finished disabling another trap before he felt a slight tremor in the Stone.

'Did you all feel that?' asked Everin towards his comrades.

'Aye, I did' grimly replied Vetek and both Bargrin and Kajja shared a similar response.

'That was no natural tremor' spoke the Casteless as he then looked down the tunnel from where they had come and again they all felt it.

'You better start working faster, Scout' said Vetek as he readied himself again into a defensive stance 'looks like the bastards have got us by the stones.'

At the far end of the tunnel, Everin could see the movement of many Darkspawn, a horde that numbered in the hundreds was heading their way…

* * *

The workshop of Olek Vorne reminded Vanyra Skorrisdottir of the foundry she was once employed at, back in Karaz-a-Karak. Dwarf smiths hammered swords, axes, maces, warhammers, armor and shields, beating out the dents and restoring wargear to pristine conditions while other members polished and cleaned the mechanical components of crossbows or assembled traps that could be placed on the ground. It was not as grand of course for she saw that of the dwarfs working here were focused on repairing and maintaining equipment, rather than forging new ones.

One particular section of the workshop that caught her interest was four great slabs of stone; upon each slab was a massive thing with two arms and legs with bodies made from stone or steel. Arcane runes ran along the bodies of the giants with glowing crystalline formations jutting out from their shoulders and arms.

'_Gronti Duraz_' whispered Vanyra with amazement for among the _Dawi_, the knowledge of creating constructs given life by the Runesmiths had once been common but like some many things, had been lost in the long centuries of endless wars.

'You like the Golems I see?' came the friendly voice of the old smith and the Engineer looked back to him.

'Did you make these?' asked the Engineer with wonderment for she could see the masterful workmanship upon the bodies of the constructs, each was chiseled and forged in a manner which only the careful hands of a dwarf could achieve.

'By Stones I wish I did' replied the greybeard as he shook his head and gave a wistful look at the constructs 'no, these golems like many others were forged by Paragon Caridin, once of House Ortan.'

'Who was he?' asked the Engineer whose opinions of these other dwarfs was already being revised for she was starting to find them as of being rather backwards in ways which seemed all too familiar but just as capable as _Dawi_ in other matters.

'He was… the greatest smith to have lived' said the smith with that look of nostalgia, which many Longbeards had when they recounted tales of past glories. 'In the early years of our war with the Darkspawn' recounted the smith 'when many of the cities and _Thaigs_ were being lost in dozens of sieges, it was Caridin who built the very first golems using a powerful device called, The Anvil of the Void.'

Politely listening to the smith with more than a bit of academic interest, Vanyra found herself genuinely fascinated by this tale.

'This Anvil you see' continued the greybeard 'was used to forge entire legions of golems that could hold the line and drive back the Darkspawn hordes but sadly, they were not invincible and even they could be destroyed.'

'What happened then?' asked the Engineer who began to have a mounting feeling of where this was going.

'Now that is the thousand sovereign question' sighed the smith who shrugged 'no one knows because one day, Caridin just refused to make more golems which enraged King Valtor and the next thing we know, Caridin and the Anvil just disappeared.'

'Have people tried to look for it?' questioned the Engineer for she had a feeling that there was something about this story that just did not add up.

'Yes there have been many expeditions and none have been successful' said the Smith as he shook his head.

'So what of those golems then?' asked Vanyra as she looked to the ones which lay on the stone slabs.

'Those golems had been with my family for generations' replied the Smith as he gestured his right hand towards them 'one of my Ancestors at the time, Osric Vorne was one of Caridin's apprentices and it was in his journal that I discovered many things about the golems and how they work.'

'Really? So have you tried to build a new one?' questioned the Engineer for if he had the schematics for these golems, surely it would not be so difficult to try and recreate them if this Caridin could create an army.

'I have but all my attempts have failed' sighed the smith with his shoulders slumping 'my Ancestor has mentioned something about filling a suit of armor with molten Lyrium, carving certain runes and creating control rods which as the name says, allow you to give them orders.'

'And I guess that there is something missing then?' asked Vanyra.

'Precisely!' exclaimed the greybeard 'What is most vexing is that my ancestor mentioned that there is one last ingredient but the page it is written on had been torn out from the journal!'

'Grungni's Beard that must be frustrating' replied Vanyra for there were many stories in Karaz Ankor of Runelords who could create powerful runes but when their time finally came, they took their knowledge to the grave and leaving the rest of dwarf-kind poorer for it as they could no longer recreate such mighty things.

The Smith sighed again with a defeated look as he then returned his gaze to the golems. 'For years' he said 'all I have been able to do is make modifications and repairs to some of the remaining golems but so few exist now and with no way to replace them, in time I fear that all of these magnificent creations will be gone with our people soon to follow them.'

'At least you tried' spoke Vanyra as she tried to console the greybeard 'a coward would have just laid down and waited for death or ran away but you can still help your people by building weapons to fight against these Darkspawn.'

'That is kind of you to say child' said the smith with a smile as he regained his composure 'right well let me show you some of the other things we have here…'

* * *

With a loud clack, a claw trap was sprung and the metal teeth of the device snapped against nothing but air.

'We're clear!' shouted Everin.

'About time, Scout!' shouted Vetek as he drove the top rim of his targe under the chin of a Hurlock and he buried his dragonbone waraxe into its ribs, shearing through the iron breastplate it wore.

Having partly dismantled a trap which would release a cloud of Sleeping Gas, Everin held the small round canister which contained the gas itself and he shouted to his comrades 'Hold your breaths!'

Tossing the canister towards the others, he saw the container shatter below the Vetek and a cloud of sleeping powder burst out from it. The Darkspawn that attacked them immediately collapse while his fellow Legionnaires remained standing. Glad that they had heard him, the Legionnaires disengaged from their foes and began making a tactical withdrawal.

Despite all of them being sworn to find an honorable to atone for some past crime, each of the Legionnaires knew that to take on the horde now was nothing more than a pointless suicide. They needed to die honorably in battle and make sure that the enemy paid dearly in blood. There was also the fact that both the keep of Isammar and the city of Orzammar needed to be told of this horde.

'We need to split up!' shouted Everin as they put some distance between themselves and the Darkspawn.

'I will head to Orzammar and inform them of the horde' announced Vetek.

'I will come with you' said Bargrin who often sought any excuse to make it back to the city 'someone will need to watch your back.'

'Right then the two of you head back to the keep' said Vetek as he looked to both Everin and Kajja who immediately obeyed. Each of the Legionnaires knew their duty and its importance for no arguments were made and each pair went their way.

Looking to the former Silent Sister, she gave him a simple nod and already they were sprinting back to the keep. Their knowledge of the Deep Roads and its tunnels would allow them to make it back to the Isanammar with as much haste as possible.

* * *

Roaring in rage and frustration, the Vanguard saw that the pitifully small group of dwarves had somehow escaped the dozens of warriors who had been at the front of their march. Having been all the way at the center of the horde along with its honor guard when the fighting began, the Vanguard shoved its way forward and by the time it arrived at the head of the army, it saw the collapsed forms of warriors slowly getting back up as a cloud of gas dissipated. Suppressing the urge to order for the immediate executions of these incompetent bunglers, it quickly decided that if the siege was still going to happen, it knew who will be in the first wave and who should be there if they needed to retreat.

Its mind bean calculating on whether it should continue on with this attack or if it should fall back and try again some other time but then it remembered that the dwarves had found something that could easily kill many warriors. It could not allow such a potent weapon to fall into the hands of the dwarves in the city for if it did then what if the stunted creatures could create more of whatever it was? Entire Brood Nests and captured settlements would be threatened and the great campaign of the New Master could be placed in jeopardy.

Quickly ordering the army to continue their march, it knew that everything was now a race against time.

* * *

Hearing the loud click as the metal and stone door closed, Sereda could not help but feel a bit mixed about her current choices. Most definitely it seemed now that she would be going up to the surface and the Legion would be kind enough to at least provide her with many necessities which she will need to survive up there. What truly worried her though was that like many dwarves in Orzammar, she had been raised all her life, thinking that the surface was a terrible place and to even step foot underneath the sky was to risk eternal damnation to her very soul.

At least here underground, she still had a chance of redeeming herself and to make sure that the Stone would accept her. It was not an easy thing which weighed upon the mind of the Princess who noticed the two guards who still stood by with a stillness like that of a statue.

'Is there anything else I can help you with my lady?' asked the Legionnaire guard to her left who had the same voice as the one who spoke to her at the dining hall. Now that she thought about it, there also was something familiar about this dwarf's voice.

'Excuse me, but have we met?' asked the Princess.

'You probably do not remember me my lady but I was once a guard in the Royal Palace' replied the Legionnaire who lifted up his helmet to reveal a slightly pudgy, tattooed fellow with a thick stubble and black hair.

'Oh I think I do' said the princess as she took a closer look at the dwarf who looked rather plain to the point that he had the kind of face which would easily blend in with the crowd.

'Don't think too hard my lady, I was just a simple guardsman back then' spoke the Legionnaire.

'Garyn or Faryn was it?' asked the Princess as she began to recall seeing his face from time to time.

'Barin, my lady' answered the Legionnaire who still spoke as if they were back in the Diamond Quarter.

'Right! Barin' Sereda said as she also recalled something rather scandalous a few years back 'weren't you the one who had that... incident with that Marcia girl from House Olgen?

'Yes… that was err true my lady but I swear that I was just escorting that lady and she was the one who came on to me!' said the former guardsman whose face began to become red.

Sereda quickly remembered how a few years back during a celebration to mark the anniversary of her father's ascension to the throne, there had been a large feast thrown at the palace with many Noble Houses attending the event. The princess herself had found the whole affair to be quite nice and all but nothing really notable when compared to other events in the previous years. There was a scandal that broke out the next day where apparently; a guardsman of in service to House Aeducan had been caught in an intimate moment with the eldest daughter of the Noble House of Olgen.

'Well I believe you' said Sereda who remembered how on multiple occasions, Marcia Olgen got a little too crazy when around the lads, especially with strong fellows from the Warrior Caste during Provings. It was not really much of a stretch for Sereda to imagine the eldest daughter of House Olgen getting really hammered during a party (which was quite often actually) and just forget the whole Caste hierarchy thing... something which Sereda herself was guilty of but at least had the decency to keep it quiet, or tried to at the least. Stranger things have happened around Orzammar for she also heard a rather hilarious and surely exaggerated story about a warrior got so drunk that he crashed the funeral of some family, took off his pants and wrestled a roasted nug… and lost.

'Well that is kind of you to say my lady' said the former guardsman as he still looked away with embarrassment. 'So is there anything else I can help you with?' he then asked while trying to change the subject.

'Where did my companion go?' asked the Princess who honestly was not sure what to think of the strange dwarf she had met in the Deep Roads. Now that she thought about it, perhaps friend was not the best word to have used.

'She should be in the workshop with Master Vorne, my lady' said the guardsman 'I can show you where it is.'

'Lead the way' nodded Sereda and the former guardsman did as she bade him.

They travelled through the gloomy halls of the Isanammar where she could hear the soft singing of Lyrium within the stone and she judging from what Everin had said, they literally were sitting on top of a very large deposit of it. When she finally came close to the workshop, it was not the expectant sound of hammering metal upon anvils or the smell of soot and burning but rather, it was a slight tremor and a loud bang.

With eyes widening in worry that perhaps something had exploded, both Sereda and her escort picked up their pace as they ran to the workshop. When they found the entrance to the place, they saw smoke rising out from the doorway which was followed by another loud bang and an excited series of laughter. Looking to the Legionnaire with an unsure look, Sereda saw him have a similar expression and the former guardsman led the way.

The Princess soon found herself on a terrace which connected to a staircase going down to her right and laid before her was the spacious workshop. On one side she saw the forges with anvils standing next to the blazing furnaces, near the forges were several workbenches which she guessed was used to repair and maintain crossbows, the ballistae and other mechanical objects, on another side she saw alchemical apparatuses with rune crafting stations nearby. The Princess even saw the four great golems which lay upon their backs not far from where she had entered.

A few of the dwarves within the workshop were now gathered around another section which had a thick stone fence raised in a circular pattern. At the center of the circle was an open space with the floor blackened by scorch marks. She then saw Vanyra step into the circle with the dragon-headed weapon.

'_Eins, Zwei, Drei_!' shouted the voice of the Master Smith and a great tongue of fire leapt out from Vanyra's weapon and into the section of the stone fence ahead of her. Using the stairway to head down, Sereda then moved towards the stone ring where the Engineer continued to make her weapon spit out fire until finally, the flames sputtered and died down.

'What's going on here?' asked Sereda as her recent companion then opened up a compartment on the back of her weapon and began pouring some amber liquid into it.

The Master Smith then looked to the princess and he gave a quick bow before explaining 'we are making tests to see if we can replicate the alchemical composition of Drakefire.'

'Oh I see…' replied Sereda who had on a few occasions listened to very technical (and incomprehensible) lectures from members of the Smith Caste who focused on the studies of alchemy or the mechanical. 'So any success?' politely asked the princess and the old smith beamed with pride.

'A great deal of it I must say!' replied the Smith 'we will later be making some experiments with coarsely ground Lyrium Sand and see if we can make something similar to what your friend calls Blackpowder.'

'Okay, well good luck with that and uh… don't get yourselves killed' said the Princess who really was not in the mood to listen to another technical speech.

'Don't worry about us my lady' spoke the Master Smith 'I pride myself in taking the utmost precautions, not like those mad Glavonaks mind you.'

Having no idea who the smith was even talking about, Sereda nodded him and she looked to her recent companion who was now busy with some other strange weapon which she had no doubt would be just as destructive as the others.

* * *

At the gates leading into Isanammar, two black armored Legionnaires stood watch with hands upon the butts of their battle axes with the heads resting on the glowing ground. One of the Legionnaires who was named Volin noticed movement across the Singing Field and he craned his neck while squinting his eyes underneath his helmet in an attempt to get a better look. He saw two other dwarves wearing the black armor of the Legion and immediately he knew it was the patrol that went out but quickly did he notice that other two were not with them.

'Open the gate, the patrol is back!' shouted Volin and immediately did the great gates open for the returning patrol.

He noted the way which the two were sprinting towards them and he had a deep feeling that trouble was following after them. When they arrived, he asked them to catch their breaths first before speaking and one of them, a blonde bearded Scout was quick to speak.

'Darkspawn horde coming!' wheezed the Scout 'lots of them, they have Ogres and Emissaries!'

Soon alarms were raised across the entire bastion as Legionnaires took up arms and armor while those of the non-fighting castes helped carry supplies to the walls. They had always drilled for this and it would not be the first time Isanammar had been attacked by the Darkspawn. Let them come thought Volin as those outside entered through the gates which closed behind them.

Perhaps this would finally be it was the thought of the Legionnaire. Maybe this will finally be the battle he was sure that many of the Legionnaires were thinking of, the one that would finally end in the redemption which they coveted since joining the Legion of the Dead.


	4. Vorkhul

Underneath a dark sky that burned with fire, a warrior gave a mighty roar that shook the cursed earth. The warrior stood upon the corpse of a mighty foe clad in armour of brass and flesh that was the colour of blood. Its great leathery wings had been mangled by the mighty hands of the warrior who held his fallen foe's severed horned head.

Burning blood dripped from the grisly trophy as the warrior then hurled it towards a horde of red skinned enemies who wielded swords of fire. The warrior spat with contempt before hefting the mighty axe which he had appropriated from his most recent kill. Despite the exhaustion and weariness which he felt, the warrior's pride, his stubbornness and his rage were all that kept him going throughout the timeless eons. With one more roar of defiance, he charged towards the horde and where he went, death followed.

* * *

**ACT II: STEIN UND EIS**

* * *

A quiet sigh of relief escaped the lips of Sereda as she took a seat upon a bed which was composed of many layers of soft nug-hide placed over a stone slab. It was not the most comfortable thing to sleep on but after being in a jail cell, the tomb and the journey through the Deep Roads, it was nice to have a quiet moment to herself. At the moment, there were only a few other dwarves within the sleeping quarters all of whom were fast asleep.

The princess still could not quite believe that she really was going to the surface and the mere idea of it made her uneasy to stay the least. Over the years, she had heard many fanciful stories about the world above, some were absurd stories about how a dwarf needs to tightly dig his or her toes into the ground to avoid being swallowed up what was called "The Sky". Others were stories about how life was like for people up in there and how among the surfacers, folk did not use the Caste System and that a person could be whatever they wanted to be.

All thoughts for tomorrow decided the princess while resting her head upon a hard pillow of which was also made from nug-hide. As Sereda closed her eyes and was about to get some sleep, the sudden sound of a horn being blown was immediately heard and she shot upwards to a seated position while wide awake. The horn signaled in the particular pattern which signified that battle was about to be joined.

Muttering a curse in the names of the Paragons, the princess quickly got off of the stone bed and already, the Legionnaires who had been sleeping were already getting up and equipping their gear. Reaching for the sheathed swords which lay upon a chest at the foot of the bed, Sereda grabbed the two weapons and she placed them over her back. If there were Darkspawn getting ready to lay siege to the fortress, the princess knew that she would need some armor as well.

Hopping off the bed and putting on some shoes, she quickly went towards the nearest Legionnaire who was still busy putting on a suite of black, massive armor. As the Princess approached, the Legionnaire glanced towards Sereda who then asked for the location of the nearest armory. The Legionnaire gave the princess a quick series of directions before moving on to assist one of his comrades in putting on some armor as well.

Turning away from the Legionnaire, Sereda then went towards the doorway which led out from the sleeping quarters and into the halls where the booted feet of more Legionnaires could be heard. As soon as Sereda got out from the sleeping quarters, she saw that the halls were now a buzz of activity as dwarves from the other Castes were doing their part by carrying quivers of arrows and bolts which likely were destined for the walls. Remembering the directions which had been given to her, the princess made her way to the nearest armory where already, there were dwarves bringing out a variety of melee weapons.

Weaving her way passed running dwarves and doing her best to avoid bumping into someone (especially those who were carrying sharp swords and axes), she then entered the armory which still had quite a large stock of equipment.

'What are you looking for?' came a voice from behind and Sereda glanced back to see a Smith Caste fellow who carried a wooden barrel with three crossbows inside of it.

'I need some armor if the Legion has any to spare' replied the princess.

'Over there by the corner' said the Smith who then looked to the northeastern section of the armory where several armor stands were placed. 'You also might want to get some new weapons' added the smith 'help yourself, we have more than enough for everyone'.

The Smith then headed out back to the hall and leaving Sereda alone in armory. The princess guessed that the Legion would not mind if she helped herself to some of the better pieces of whatever was left.

* * *

Annoyance and anger raged within the thoughts of the Vanguard for the army it had brought was unable to bring its full might all at once. The tunnels which they had traveled through were not large to begin with and it forced them to move only a small number of troops at a time. It knew that with every second, the dwarves had more time to prepare their defenses.

Quickly ordering several other Darkspawn to form a defensive line until the rest of the army arrived, those who heard were quick to obey. Packs of warriors and archers were on the move and soon enough, they set up a ragged semi-circular formation which protected the tunnel. At the least, they had a clear line of sight in case the dwarves tried to sally forth and if the stunted things did, the Darkspawn could unleash a hail of arrows and bolts.

Due to the lack of siege weapons among the Darkspawn army, the only way which they can quickly take the fortress was to use the spells of the Emissaries to blast the defenses away or have the Ogres either hurl boulders or use their strength as living battering rams. It was not going to be an easy battle, it knew and the casualties would no doubt be heavy but if there was one thing which the Vanguard had learned in its life was that there was no problem that could be solved by throwing enough troops at it.

* * *

Moving through the halls of the fortress, Vanyra was accompanied by the dwarfs from the workshop who now were carrying her many weapons. Already, the Engineer had been informed that the pattern of the horns signified that there was a large force of Darkspawn that were gathering outside and preparing to attack the fortress. Remembering the passages they had earlier taken along with the high, sturdy walls of Isanammar, it gave some comfort to Vanyra that the Darkspawn would have a difficult time in breaking through.

Internally did the Engineer curse herself for being caught up in yet another siege for on multiple occasions over the course of her travels had Vanyra been forced to engage in such lengthy battles. The first time had been the siege of Fort Wachsein where she had fought alongside the manlings of the Empire against the hated greenskins. After that, there had been multiple times which she and those she had travelled with had defended multiple small towns and villages across the Empire and later Bretonnia and among the more notable battles was The Siege of Bechafen, The Darkness over Leicheberg, The Wild Hunt of Parravon, The Mousillon Assault and most recently, The Scourging of L'anguille.

Like many members from the Guild of Engineers, Vanyra was well versed in the intricacies of physics, machinery, chemistry and logistics. Over the course of her travels, the Engineer had worked on and made adjustments to various war machines such as the Great Cannons, Mortars, Helblaster Volley Guns, Helstorm Rocket Batteries, Trebuchets and even on one occasion, one of those Eagle Claw Bolt Throwers of the_ Elgi_. Aside from the use of Artillery, Vanyra was also well experienced in the way of mining underneath defensive fortifications or setting explosive charges upon gates.

Eventually, the Engineer passed through a long hallway which led to the courtyard where on the sides of the space were many ancestor faces, a number of which were cleverly concealed murder holes. On the floor, she noticed several pressure plates which she had been assured were safe for now but the moment a lever at the back of the hallway was pulled, the traps that had been placed would be primed. By the time Vanyra reached the courtyard, there already were several Legionnaires who were setting up formations.

Dwarfs armed with either bows or crossbows were already positioned on the high walls, no doubt that there would also be siege crews operating the ballistae. On the courtyard grounds itself, serried ranks of black armoured warriors stood still as statues while listening to a quick speech that was being given by the Legion Commander. The old dwarf spoke in tongues which Vanyra did not understand but its effect was great upon the Legionnaires who raised their weapons high and they let out a loud booming cheer that sounded like a promise of vengeance.

'They will be sending out Skirmishers soon' spoke Olek with some annoyance for the elder smith had been very eager in carrying out his experiment in recreating Black Powder.

'I guess I will be joining them' announced Vanyra who then went towards the apprentices who carried her equipment.

From them, she acquired her heavily modified Dwarf Handgun which was equal to the Imperial Hochland Long Rifle in terms of range yet superior in its stopping power (even without the runes placed upon it) and it was not as cumbersome to wield. After taking the _thrund_, the Engineer also chose to take the most versatile weapon which she owned, the Rune-enhanced Repeater Crossbow. The final pieces which she took were a few grenades and her two melee weapons which she carried on the sides of her belt.

With a nod towards the elder Smith and his apprentices, Vanyra set forth to join the sortie where no doubt her other skills would prove to be quite useful.

* * *

Striding out into the courtyard of Isanammar, Sereda Aeducan once more felt like the warrior she truly was. The princess was now protected by a suit of polished Red Steel Massive Armor of Dwarven craftsmanship which was decorated with many semi-precious gems of garnet and alexandrite and the helmet which would complete the armor set was firmly held in the crook of her left arm. Upon the sides of her belt, Sereda carried a pair of Dwarven Red Steel Waraxes while on her back was a crossbow made from some olive colored wood with a small silver disc displaying the Griffon insignia of the Grey Wardens stamped onto both sides of the handle along with a leather quarrel of bolts for the ranged weapon.

Holding her head high with pride, the princess marched ahead towards the gathering of Legionnaires. She saw the gates open to allow a group of dwarves to go sally forth and among them was the familiar grey cloaked figure of Vanyra who carried one of those strange "firearm" weapons on her back. By Sereda's guess, it would likely be a party of light armored ranged troops who would either launch a few harassment attacks or set up some traps for the Darkspawn for that was what she would do if she were in command.

Whatever it was they were planning, Sereda knew where her place on the battlefield would where the fighting was at its thickest. More than a few Legionnaires turned their heads at the direction of Princess who did her to adopt the posture used by fellow Nobles when leading warriors into battle. She joined the position of a band of dwarves who primarily wielded twin melee weapons while next to them was another battalion who were all armed with two-handed weapons.

Overall, there were five battalions of Legionnaires; each was composed of eight dwarves. Three of the battalions were at the mouth of the gate house, all armed with shields and one handed weapons while behind them were the other two groups who then moved to flank them. In Sereda's mind, she began to picture what formation the Legionnaires were making and it was a semi-circle pattern which would force the Darkspawn to break against the wall of shield bearers while the more aggressive troops would attack from the side.

It was a tactic which she was familiar with but the times she had seen it in use, there would have been several dozens of Warrior Caste soldiers who would form a proper phalanx formation. The princess then began to feel a heavy rumbling from the ground behind her and she glanced back to see what it was and her eyes widened with surprise. Four great golems stomped towards the dwarves and each one glowed with runic lights while the Master Smith held up a crystalline rod while shouting orders to them.

In Orzammar, the golems were looked upon with great respect for each one was a powerful weapon of war and destruction which could surpass the Ogres of the Darkspawn in physical strength. It was such a shame that not many of the Paragon Caridin's greatest inventions remained within the great city for aside from strength, there were many stories about golems which had powerful, magical abilities that allowed them to unleash the sort of mass devastation which mages from the surface races were supposed to be capable of. Each of the golems then placed themselves at four separate intervals behind the Legionnaires and they planted their massive feet to the ground.

Sereda suddenly began to feel a strangely warm, yet comforting sensation rush over her body and all the aches and pains which she had acquired from her recent fights disappeared. The princess was not quite sure about what was happening but if she had to guess, these Golems were imbued with the ability to use restorative magic. That should toughen up the line, thought Sereda with satisfaction as she soon took her place among the rest of the warriors.

Now all that was left was to wait for the Darkspawn to come…

* * *

Squinting its eyes from underneath its helmet, the Vanguard saw that the gates of the dwarven fortress open and from it, groups of dwarves began to emerge. At first it thought that the dwarves were preparing to lead an assault but as soon as the stunted creatures began spreading out around the base of the walls, it realized what they were doing. The traps they were setting would have greatly hampered an assault with siege ladders or any other pieces of equipment which would have allowed the Darkspawn to scale the walls.

Having traps as well in front of the gate would make just sending the Ogres out to serve as battering rams a dangerous proposition for each of the great beasts were sorely needed. It had no doubt that the dwarves would also place a mixture of lethal and non-lethal traps while others would be dupes for the sake of keeping the genlocks guessing. The best thing the Vanguard could was to send waves of warrior and-

A distant crack was heard across the horizons and the head of a nearby Hurlock Alpha suddenly exploded in a shower of gore. The Vanguard's eyes widened in shock at the sudden death and it looked to the lyrium veined fields and saw no dwarf in sight. Puzzled by this the Vanguard then looked to a nearby Emissary and as lead Darkspawn was about to give an order, another crack sounded out and the spellcaster's head exploded rather violently.

Many of the lesser minions began to become frantic as they drew their weapons and began to search for whatever had killed their two comrades before another crack resounded and a different Hurlock Alpha fell to its knees with its head having been reduced to a bloody ruin. Quickly did the Vanguard realize that whatever was killing them was targeting the Alphas and Emissaries! The Vanguard quickly lowered its head so it would be concealed by the crowd and it removed its ornate, horned helmet.

Several clacks and twangs of crossbows and bows were heard as the archers began firing at random directions and it heard the voices of the Emissaries who began casting their own spells. Quickly did the Vanguard order the Emissaries to cease their casting for the arcane energies which surrounded them served to only make the spell casters more visible. Another crack was heard, causing an Emissary's head to explode while the others blindly hurled their spells around the area.

Rage began to build up within the Vanguard at how its underlings were not obeying. Already having half a mind to draw its sword and start chopping off a few heads to restore order, it then began to hear the high pitched shrills of the Shriek which called to the Vanguard's attention. Casting its gaze to the Shriek, it then pointed a clawed hand toward one section of the field that was well out of the range of a longbow. There was another loud crack which resounded, resulting in yet another death but for a brief moment, the Vanguard saw something out of the ordinary.

There had been a flash of fire that lasted for less than a second and it noticed that there was an ever so slight and almost impossible to see, light fog of smoke that now began to cloud that area. Quickly deducing that whatever was attacking them was over there, the Vanguard immediately ordered a large pack of its minions to rush the position and its underlings let out a loud blood curdling roar before breaking into a charge.

* * *

The air around Vanyra Skorrisdottir was distorted by the magic of the Master Rune of Disguise etched upon the _wutroth_ stock of her long barreled Handgun, thus concealing the Engineer who was in a kneeling position. With her grey cloak wrapped around her shoulders and the hood over her head, Vanyra began the process of reloading her rifle which was sped up by the Rune of Reloading. Just as with most blackpowder weapons, Vanyra placed first the explosive powder and then the bullet into the barrel of the Handgun before packing it all in with the ramming rod.

With practiced precision and discipline, Vanyra reloaded and took aim again with her Handgun and already she saw the many Darkspawn which were now coming charging towards her. Taking a last shot which was enhanced by a Rune of Penetrating towards one of the dwarf-sized orc things, the Engineer quickly got up to her feet and began running back towards the fortress.

The enchantments placed upon her boots caused Vanyra to move very quickly and she reached for her bandolier where she pulled out an explosive device. In her hands, the Engineer carried a modified Cinderblast Bomb which had an extended timer. Priming the explosive, Vanyra then hurled it over her shoulder before grabbing another of the devices.

After hurling four grenades, Vanyra then began to mentally countdown how the timer of the first Cinderblast Bomb. The Engineer glanced back to see that the Darkspawn did not even noticed the grenades which she tossed and after several seconds, they detonated in succession. Dozens of the monsters were slain by the hail of shrapnel and the deaths of the things did not cause much of a difference in their numbers but it did have the desired effect.

Those Darkspawn who had pursued Vanyra began to flee towards the rest of the gathering horde and a slight grin creased upon her face. Looking back to the fortress, the Engineer saw the skirmisher parties which had been laying traps were now advancing towards her with longbows and crossbows at the ready. Just like baiting _grobi_, was the satisfied thought of Vanyra who un-slung her rifle again and began to reload.

* * *

Travelling alongside a band of twenty Legionnaire Scouts was Everin Orlon who now wielded a surface crafted longbow and a satchel of glass spheres which contained a mixture of alchemical bombs. They strode across the Singing Field in a loose formation which would allow them to avoid being hit all at once by any spells and if they had to run, there was plenty of space for them to avoid running into one another. Not that standing and fighting was what they were planning of course for their mission was to simply harass the Darkspawn and thin them out by a little.

From the distance, Everin had seen commotion caused by Vanyra who had been pursued by the Darkspawn and the four explosions that killed dozens of the beasts. Of the strange woman herself though, Everin was surprised for it looked as if she just disappeared. He glanced around for a moment to see where the grey cloaked figure had gone but was quickly forced to give up lest he fall behind in the formation.

The Legionnaire soon halted a little out of longbow range from the Darkspawn and they took aim. Those archers armed with crossbows raised their weapons so that the front part faced the monsters while those armed with longbows raised theirs upwards so that their arrows could fly in an arc. Everin gave a quick glance to see if the Darkspawn were coming at them and to a bit of his surprise, the monsters were opened fire not onto the dwarves but to those of their kin who had been fleeing and in a single volley, all of them had been cut down.

As expected, the Darkspawn seemed to take amusement, even at the deaths of their fellows which only served to heighten Everin's disdain for the monsters. Focusing his attention back onto his shot, he calculated the trajectory of which the arrow would fly and he adjusted his aim before one of the senior Scouts gave the order to fire. Several twangs and clacks heralded the barrage of fire from the dwarves who used ranged weapons which were constructed from superior (and expensive to acquire) materials and were more than capable of outranging those normally used by the Darkspawn.

More than a dozen Darkspawn died in that first volley and the dwarves immediately shifted to a firing stance which focused on improving rate of fire. Those Legionnaires armed with crossbows stepped back a few paces while the longbow equipped ones released a volley of shots before moving back as well. In response, the Darkspawn archers fired back but their arrows and bolts which had a shorter range only succeeded in striking the rocky, lyrium laced ground.

The peal of a horn was heard from among the Darkspawn and the monsters gave a loud roar of bloodlust before charging en masse towards the Legionnaires who in turn, began to withdraw back towards the fortress. Reaching into a satchel on the right side of his waist, Everin carefully pulled out a handful of small caltrops which he hurled to the ground behind him while his fellow Legionnaire Scouts did the same. In their wake, each of the dwarves left behind dozens of the small spiked objects which would harm and slow down the pursuing Darkspawn.

After putting some distance between themselves and the monsters, the Legionnaire Scouts halted their retreat and prepared to fire another volley.

* * *

The Vanguard gnashed its teeth in frustration as it saw more of its minions get cut down by the dwarven skirmishers whose ranged weapons were superior to their own. It was inevitable really for due to the swarming numbers of the Darkspawn themselves that most warriors were forced to rely on inferior equipment that could easily be mass produced while the stronger ones had access to the better gear. Normally, it would not be angered at the loss of a few minions but at the moment, their position was hihgly vulnerable and the less warriors they had in the glowing cavern, the more exposed the Vanguard itself was.

It still had not been able to find out exactly what had killed some of its fellows and out of necessity, the Vanguard moved back along with the other Alphas and Emissaries. More and more of its army made it through the narrow tunnel with the first ogres already crouching through the space. The great horns of the mighty creatures only served to hinder their movement and slow down the advance of those behind them.

Again, there was the distant crack and the next thing the Vanguard knew, blood blossomed from the right eye of an ogre. The Beast roared in rage and agony before going berserk, its massive arms flailed about and slamming into lesser Darkspawn who were hurled to the ground or the stone walls with enough force to shatter bones. A group of three other Ogres quickly stomped towards their raging kinsman, attempting to restrain it but one Ogre received a backhanded strike from the blinded one that broke teeth and enraging the giant as well.

Soon the ogres began to brawl among one another while crushing lesser Darkspawn in the process. All became chaos among the gathered Darkspawn as the Hurlocks and Genlocks tried to get away from the ensuing fight while those ogres who were still in the tunnels began to shove their way through. The sight of this enraged the Vanguard who quickly gave ordered the nearest emissaries to subdue the belligerent giants.

The spell casters obeyed and began chanting words of power which caused sparks of lightning to appear around them. There was a powerful charge in the air as volleys of weak electric bolts were casted from the staves of the Emissaries which was enough to cause painful spasms while other debilitating spells were used. Suddenly, there came another loud crack and yet again, another Emissary's head exploded before the Ogres collapsed to the ground.

A loud series of high pitched noises were heard from a group of shrieks who suddenly began bounding away from the formation. For a moment, the Vanguard had thought that the sneaky things were trying to abandon them but quickly it noticed that they were all headed towards a particular destination. Hopefully, it was the source of whatever was causing those deadly cracks for the Vanguard would like nothing more than to find what it was and permanently silence it with the edge of its sword.

* * *

Through the scope of her handgun, Vanyra watched the oncoming pack of Crypt Ghoul-like Darkspawn and she focused her aim on one creatures at the lead. Holding her breath to steady her aim, the Engineer squeezed the trigger and fired a single ball of lead which flew straight and true. The round slammed right between the eyes of the lead ghoul whose head exploded from the shot.

Having already calculated the speed and distance which the Ghoul-like creatures were travelling, the dwarf immediately stowed away her rifle and switched to her Repeater Crossbow. Vanyra could hear the high pitched shrieking sounds, like those of bats and for a moment the dwarf wondered if the things were actually more related to the feral-minded _zangunaz_ such as the fearsome Varghulf. Regardless, the Engineer took aim with her crossbow while choosing a target and as soon as they came within range, she opened fire.

One of the beasts took a steel-tipped bolt to the eye which sank deep enough to puncture the brain while another took a bolt to the left thigh, causing it to crash into the glowing ground while tripping the other behind it. The runes which had been inscribed along the stock of the crossbow flared to life, thus imbuing each shot with a small measure of its potent power. Soon Vanyra emptied all twelve bolts from the magazine with a total of eight kills and four injuries among the Darkspawn with plenty more of the beasts to spare.

Reaching for her bandolier again, the Engineer removed a disc shaped charge which was primed through a simple triggering mechanism in the center of it. Thumbing the button and tossing it ahead, she then began to again, run towards the fortress while grabbing another. Glancing back, she saw that the loping Darkspawn began to spread themselves out to avoid the disc shaped charge.

Looks like they are learned thought the Engineer who tossed another disc shaped explosive to the ground and she looked away in time as the first sprung up to the air and detonated. Instead of a loud explosion of smoke, fire and shrapnel, this first device created an intensely loud bang and a flash of searing light that blinded the nearby Darkspawn before the second one did the same. The ghoul-things crashed into the ground while covering their eyes or ears from the blinding light which was created by a volatile reaction of alchemical compounds.

This gave the Engineer enough time to prime and hurl her last two Cinderblast Bombs which obliterated the corrupted things. Not waiting to see if there were more Darkspawn on the way, Vanyra then saw the group of dwarfs who were constantly moving and halting to create over watch positions while making their way back to the fortress while. Knowing well enough that her current supply of ammunition would not last long, the Engineer quickly moved to join the band of archers.

* * *

_Several minutes later…_

Much to the surprise of Sereda, the entire party of skirmishers made it back to the Isanammar along with Vanyra. Each of the dwarves had returned with now empty quivers of arrows or bolts which no doubt had found lodging in the corrupted flesh of the Darkspawn. The Legionnaires gave somber hails to their comrades for although they had returned alive and well, they had yet to find the glorious death which those sworn to the Legion sought after.

It was a sobering thought really for had they been part of the regular Warrior Caste forces, such a return would have been greeted with thunderous applause and commendations and it would have been a big morale booster, not so for those who sought death. The Legionnaires quickly made way for the returning dwarves while groups of Servant Caste members delivered skins of water and fresh quivers. The skirmisher party only took a short moment of respite before claiming the ammunition which they brought with them up to the walls.

She glanced towards Vanyra who did not seem to notice Sereda (most likely due to the face concealing helmet which she now wore) and the Engineer halted for a moment to look at the golems. There was look of amazement on her companion's face before moving past the wall of shield bearing Legionnaires who then reformed their defensive formation. Looking to the Legionnaire next to her, a twin sword wielding warrior and the Princess gave a quite word.

'So what now?' asked Sereda to the adjacent Legionnaire whose face was concealed by a black helmet and she saw the glittering green eyes of the warrior underneath it.

'The sodding thunder-humpers are still going to be coming' replied the masculine voice of the Legionnaire who then relaxed his stance and sheathed his sword 'it will be best if we let them come and break upon the walls.'

The two sword wielding warrior then stepped away from the defensive formation along with those others who did not carry shields and they began making their way to the stairwells leading up. Guessing that she should do the same, Sereda then sheathed her axes before grabbing her new crossbow. The princess hoped that if the weapon was indeed handed down from the Grey Warden, it would be especially useful in slaying the ancient enemy of dwarf-kind.

* * *

Despite the setbacks and losses which had occurred earlier, the Vanguard's anger had partially calmed as more of its army arrived. The brawling ogres had been cleared away by the rest of their kin while the Emissaries tended to the wounded. The Shrieks had been successful in stopping whatever was the cause of those loud cracks but it was infuriating that none survived to actually report back exactly what it was.

It would simply have to be more cautious was the Vanguard's conclusion as it set its helmet back on and it felt comforted to be in full regalia once more. Having reorganized a defensive perimeter, the Vanguard sent out parties of Genlocks and Hurlocks to drag back the bodies of the fallen for even the dead had their uses. The corpses would soon be stacked on a single pile where a cabal of Genlock Emissaries awaited while preparing spells of the most terrible sorceries.

Unlike the other emissaries of their army, these particular sorcerers carried many fetishes made from bones and skulls. As one, the Genlocks raised their arms and began chanting arcane words which caused the air around them to become very cold and the Vanguard thought that it could hear strange whisperings from the edge of its hearing. The spell of the Genlock cabal reached its crescendo as several other Darkspawn instinctively began to back away before suddenly, a lance of cold light struck into the mound of corpses.

The bodies of the dead began to erratically twitch and jerk about before finally, they began to rise. It was with pride that the Vanguard saw the reanimation of these minions for even in death, its minions would continue to serve its whims. It would not matter how many Darkspawn were killed by the dwarves for the Vanguard knew that it could easily replace its loses while the enemy could not.

Perhaps once the fortress was taken and whatever mighty weapon the dwarves had found was captured and repurposed for the glory of the New Master, the Vanguard decided to late have the cabal place some sort of curse on the fortress. That would be most amusing it thought, to create a legion of undead warriors from these dwarves who sought death.

It would be a most fitting and most delicious vengeance it would reap to the stunted ones before the Vanguard turned its attention to the great city itself…

* * *

Now upon the walls of fortress, Sereda watched the gathering horde of Darkspawn with a sense of trepidation. Although the princess had faced Darkspawn numerous times in the past, she had only fought the things in small skirmishes where they numbered in the dozens at the most. Yet what was gathering now within the great cavern was an army that numbered in the hundreds, perhaps even a thousand.

The princess was glad that she was wearing a helmet which concealed her face for she had no doubt that if anyone saw her, they could see the fear which she felt. Bestial roars filled the cavern as the monsters beat upon drums and blew mighty horns while the unnatural glow of spells being worked could also be seen in the distance. The sortie that had left hours earlier had done little to harm the horde which now covered the glowing fields in a sea of hideous bodies whose features were illuminated by torchlight.

In all her years of growing up in Orzammar, Sereda had lived through multiple sieges, yet each time such a thing had happened, the Darkspawn were turned back by the legions of brave dwarven warriors who were fighting for hearth and home. The fact that she was fighting alongside the Legion of the Dead was only a small comfort to the Princess who was more alarmed by the fact there were less than a hundred defenders within the fortress along with several more dwarves from the non-fighting Castes. Glancing towards the Legionnaires next to her, Sereda saw only a grimly stoic defiance while they passed among them, several glass spheres which looked liked the bombs which the alchemists of the Smith Caste occasionally brewed.

'Well this should be easy' spoke one Legionnaire not far to her left.

'Aye, the dumb sods didn't even bother to bring siege weapons' commented another Legionnaire.

'That means they will try to use Emissaries and Ogres to break down the walls' said a third dwarf.

'Seems that way, better keep an eye out' spoke the first dwarf and words of agreement were heard from the rest who passed the message along to the others.

Right then, thought Sereda as she took a deep breath to calm herself for her heart loudly hammered underneath her breast and she could feel her hands becoming slick with sweat. She then closed her eyes for a moment and began to whisper a prayer to the Ancestors and to Stone, asking for protection and strength for the coming battle. She then heard the call of a horn from elsewhere along the walls and the voices of Legion officers bellowing orders to make ready.

You can do this, Sereda said to herself as she slowly opened her eyes and she lifted the Grey Warden Crossbow into a firing position. Archers armed with longbows raised their weapons high as they knocked arrows and she could hear the faint churning sounds as the ballista crews made last moment adjustments to their aim. Then finally, there was a great roar of rage from the Darkspawn and the stone walls trembled underneath their steps.

'Hold!' roared a Legionnaire from not far away and Sereda resisted the urge to press the trigger of the crossbow. The Darkspawn's charge brought them closer to the fortress where their roars became one with the rumbling of the earth and the pounding of her heart. 'Hold!' commanded the same Legionnaire and second by agonizing second, the monstrous army drew ever closer.

Another horn was blown, this time creating two peals which were higher in pitch. The princess soon picked up the smell of tar as the crews of the siege weapons coated the massive bolts of their ballistae in pitch. The siege crews then lighted the projectiles, causing the massive steel heads to burn with fire and the horn blew again but this time, it was followed by the activations of their war machines.

Four great blazing missiles soared through the air, away from the high walls of Isammar and into the raging horde of Darkspawn. Each of the bolts struck the lyrium laced ground and scything down several of the enemy. The siege crew then began to reload their war machines and the officer called the archers to attention.

Remembering the shooting lessons which she had been given in the past; Sereda took another deep breath, this time to steady her aim. A few more moments passed before the Darkspawn came within range and already, the siege crews had readied another volley to which an officer ordered for the ballistae to fire at will. The second volley of burning ballista bolts cut down more of the Darkspawn who died by the dozens and the monsters pressed on, heedless of their losses.

'Archers, loose!' commanded the Legion Officer and the princess pressed the trigger of her crossbow. She felt the slight recoil as the stock struck against her right pauldron, causing a metallic_ pakk_ sound which was followed by a chorus of clacks, twangs and the whistles of projectiles in flight. A volley of arrows and crossbow bolts, some of which were on fire or trailing with a cold mist, rained down upon the Darkspawn who cut down by the volley.

Many of those Darkspawn who had been at the front of the horde were instantly killed by the hail of deadly projectiles. Enemy archers fired back with none of the shots striking the dwarfs who were placed high up on the walls or were protected by the thick stone parapets. Quickly lowering her crossbow and placing another bolt upon the stock, she then lifted the weapon up into a firing position again and she heard the order to fire at will.

The dwarves sent down another hail of deadly projectiles which punched through the armor and bit into corrupted flesh. With many more Darkspawn still advancing towards them, Sereda knew that this was just the beginning.

* * *

Lifting up a stout, wide barreled gun to air, Vanyra pressed the trigger on her Imperial Grenade Launching Blunderbuss. An audible click was heard as the piece of flint struck against the frizzen, thus sending sparks towards the blackpowder within the priming pan and half a second after the trigger was pressed, there was deep pow. Smoke belched forth from the barrel of the blunderbuss and it fired an explosive off of the wall while startling more than a few of the archers around her.

The acrid smell of spent gunpowder filled the air around the Engineer who had long grown used to such weaponry and already, she was reloading the blunderbuss. Twin Runes of Penetrating were placed upon the barrel, infusing each grenade fired with a much deadlier potency and a Rune of Forging placed near the firing mechanism made it much safer to wield for the weapon was originally of human origin, thus less trustworthy than anything of dwarf-make. The short fuse grenade which she had launched detonated above the heads of the Darkspawn and sending down a hail of razor sharp shrapnel which easily punched through armor and into flesh.

Just like the savage hordes which so often assailed the great holds of Karaz Ankor, the Darkspawn died in droves against disciplined volleys of dwarf missile troops. Down below, the Engineer saw the carnage which unfolded as the traps which had earlier been set up by the dwarf skirmishers were sprung. Many Darkspawn had their legs caught between the jagged teeth of bear traps while others were torn to shreds by shrapnel or eviscerated in various ways by explosions of a more elemental nature.

There were Darkspawn who were incinerated by explosions of fire while others were frozen solid by bursts ice and a number were shocked by detonations of lightning. There were also those who died quite painfully by sprays of acid which caused armour, flesh, meat and bone to melt into mixed slurry. Some even died from strange explosions which seemed to simply feel unnatural to look upon.

Many of the traps were also non-lethal types such as those which sprayed out viscous fluids which slowed down the attackers releasing clouds of gas which caused the Darkspawn to flee or fall to the ground. These non-lethal traps disrupted the advancing hordes and presenting the dwarves with more stationary targets. Despite all of the traps which had been planted to slow the Darkspawn advance, the monsters simply had so much more bodies to spare that it mattered little to remainder of the horde.

With another press of the trigger, Vanyra fired another short fuse grenade over the wall and again, it added to the suffering of the Darkspawn who already were experiencing heavy losses from the hail of arrows and bolts. From among the attackers, the Engineer quickly spotted several horned, monstrous brutes the size of minotaurs. One of the black armoured dwarf officers then began to shout orders to the others in their foreign language and the archers immediately switched their focus to the horned giants.

Time to switch munitions decided the Engineer who knew exactly what would be best for dealing with large monsters…

* * *

Having found a safe distance from which it could observe the ongoing battle while also sending out orders to the rest its army, the Vanguard and its veteran warriors watched the siege with anticipation. Ogres stomped towards the walls with massive boulders held in both hands while some of the stronger ones simply just slammed their mighty fists into the glowing ground and pulled up large stones which could be thrown. As expected, the dwarves began to focus their fire upon the ogres and two of the mighty giants were felled before they could hurl their deadly payloads.

In response, the other ogres threw their boulders at the gates with each of the projectiles shattering into countless small fragments. The gates of the fortress shook but still held and the ogres nearest to the wall began charging headlong towards the gate. Much like the masses of genlocks, hurlocks and shrieks which were part of the Vanguard's army, all were expendable and of little consequence to lose for each could easily be replaced by the Brood Mothers.

The ogres that charged towards the gates soon began stepping on hidden traps which had been left behind by the dwarves with many stumbling to the ground and tripping over their fallen kin or getting trampled over. Let the giants draw the attention of the stunted ones it thought for it provided time for the lesser grunts armed with bows and crossbows to move into place along with the Emissaries who-

A cloud of fire suddenly blossomed around the heads and shoulders of the assaulting ogres and causing the beasts to blindly lash out at those nearest to them. Again with those bombs! Thought the Vanguard for the dwarves had been using many explosive devices throughout the battle. Raising its silverite sword high and shouting a series of orders, the Hurlock General gave the signal for the Emissaries within the current wave to begin their work.

Arcane lights appeared around the bodies of the distant Emissaries as they began casting their spells and many were silenced by the fire of dwarven archers. Dozens of Fireballs were immediately hurled towards the gates with each one exploding in blasts of flames which further damaged the gate which stubbornly, still stood. By the times the Emissaries began casting another series of spells, the dwarves unleashed another volley which slew many of the spellcasters.

The losses of these Emissaries further infuriated the Vanguard who immediately cast its baleful gaze upon the cabal of Necromancers and it gave a slight nod of its head. The sorcerers and obeyed and once again they began to chant spells which caused the dead to rise from their graves. It mattered not how many minions the dwarves killed for the Necromancers could always resurrect those who had died.

Raising its sword again and preparing to send in another wave, the Vanguard gave a loud roar of bloodlust that was instantly cut short. A small steel ball that was etched with a glowing rune had flown all the way from the high walls of the fortress where a canny marksman had noted the glinting of a silver sword and the projectile struck the head of the Vanguard. Inside the ornate dragonbone helmet of the Vanguard, its skull exploded in a shower of meat and gristle which splattered the interior of the protective headgear.

Collapsing to its knees and now a lifeless husk of meat, the Vanguard's death came as a shock to its veteran guard. It quickly dawned on the Darkspawn alphas that they needed a new Vanguard to lead them and they began to cautiously eye one another while reaching for their weapons. Dark blood was soon spilled as the only ones in any position of true power began to fight among one another.

Their battle would send the rest of the horde into confusion as warriors began picking sides while the remaining emissaries failed to restore order.

* * *

Just like greenskins thought Vanyra Skorrisdottir as she set aside her scoped handgun and switched back to the use of her blunderbuss, take out the leader and the rest of the horde will turn on one another in an effort to establish leadership. The Engineer had earlier spotted the leader with the great horned helmet which stood out from all others but had lost sight of it after sniping a few of the other leaders. The Darkspawn leader had practically presented itself to the Engineer whose adventures across the Old World had taught her a few important things about decapitating an army, always kill either the biggest one among a warband, the one in the fancy robes with a staff, the one with the most distinguishable wargear and if a vast majority were warriors wearing face concealing helmets (such as the mighty Chaos Warriors or Knights) then shoot the one who is not wearing a helmet for the ones who often do not wear helmets are most likely some sort of leader.

There were still many Darkspawn which assailed the fortress and until every last one of the beasts was either dead or had been routed, the battle would still rage on. Until then, it was time to get to work and show these others dwarfs how things were done in Karaz Ankor. Loading another grenade and powder into her blunderbuss, Vanyra carefully took aim and sent another piece of death from above.

* * *

_Later again…_

A palpable mood of disappointment could be felt from among the Legion of the Dead for although they had found victory against the now fleeing horde, the true victory which they had sought had still eluded them. Sereda for one was glad to have survived and after making one last shot from her crossbow which she hoped would find its way into the back of some Darkspawn. Propping the Grey Warden crossbow by the parapet, the princess removed her helmet and wiped away the beads of sweat which had formed upon her brow.

She was somewhat surprised and perhaps a bit disappointed as well by the turn of events for she honestly thought that the Darkspawn would break down the gates and the outcome would be decided by sword, axe or bludgeon. The princess supposed that she should be grateful for such as battle would have been one which they could not win if it boiled down to attrition. The Legionnaires around her then began heading towards the stairwells and she could hear a few of them grumbling about being cheated of a good death.

Taking one last look at the fleeing monsters that now were crowding around the tunnel which led out of the cavern, she hoped that they would not regroup and try another assault. Only a few dwarves would remain on the walls, a skeleton group of sentries who would keep an eye out and make sure that there would be no more surprises. The princess then went to the guard towers with the spiraling stairwell and she used it to go head back down the courtyard.

On her way down, she felt the rumbling vibration as the mechanisms of the gates were being used to open the way leading out of the fortress. Once at the bottom of the stairwell, she made her way to the open doorway leading out and there she saw several Legionnaires preparing to march out. Most likely, they would just be making sure that the Darkspawn bodies which now littered the exterior of the fortress were really all dead and if any of the monsters were not, then they would quickly rectify it.

Placing a gauntleted hand over her mouth and covering a yawn, the princess wanted nothing more than to finally get some sleep.

* * *

Delivering a swift chop from his axe, Vetek buried the blade into the neck of a genlock while smashing aside the face of another. Kicking the corpse forward and knocking it into a Hurlock, the dwarven Legionnaire quickly rushed forward and he used his shield to tackle the taller monster and knocking it down. He then brought his right arm up and delivered an overhead chop which cleaved into the bald head of his downed foe while a familiar roar of rage was heard nearby.

Glancing to the side, he saw Bargrin holding his own against the Darkspawn with both maces now matted in gore. Crushed skulls and broken bodies were all that had been left by the two Legionnaires as they pressed into the tunnel along with a cadre of Warrior Caste Berserkers. The other dwarves roared in fury as they cut a bloody path through the Darkspawn which had been pouring out from the tunnels leading to Isammar and the damn things were hardly putting up anything that could be close to a proper fight.

By the Legionnaire's guess, the monsters were fleeing from Isanammar where no doubt that the savage things had thought that they could stand against the might of the Legion. Seemed like a waste really that Bargrin and he had gone all way to Orzammar to get help but only to arrive in time to clean up the rest. Still, it would be better to kill the damn things now rather than to let them get loose and cause trouble for someone else on a later day.

A horn was blown, signaling an advance and the booted feet of the Warrior Caste troops could be heard amidst the din of battle. The banners of Noble Houses were raised high for all to see and the sight of those flags further drove the younger warriors who sought to prove their worth in the eyes of the Nobles. Among those banners were those of House Helmi, House Gavorn, House Ivo and most resplendently of all, was the banner of House Aeducan.


	5. Zon

Black smoke wafted up to the ceiling of Isanammar's lyrium-rich cavern where dozens of fires burned outside the gates of the fortress. Dwarven Legionnaires or civilians worked in groups as they hauled Darkspawn corpses onto mounds which formed small hills. Casks filled with pitch were upended over the dead as torch bearers awaited their task for even in death, the bodies of the Darkspawn still bore their taint.

Giving a loud grunt as sweat beaded his forehead, Everin lifted one dead Genlock by the shoulders while another Legionnaire named Narek carried it by legs. No words were needed to be said for the dwarves simply nodded to tell that the other had managed to get a good grip. They carried the body to the nearest burning corpse pile and swung it unceremoniously upon the rest of its slain kin.

'This is honestly what I hate most about these big battles' commented Narek who was a fellow Legionnaire Scout and was garbed in Duster Leathers along with a bow and a leather quiver upon his back.

'I know what you mean' replied Everin who turned to his left and headed back to the scattering of corpses. 'Remember that last siege on Orzammar's gates?'

'Now how could I forget that?' said Narek with displeasure as they picked up a dead Hurlock by the limbs and both dwarves grunted with the strain for the corpse wore heavy armor. 'Five days of fighting and surviving, three days of picking up corpses like now.'

'Not to mention that feud between those two Houses' reminded Everin as they tossed the body onto the pile.

'Aye that too' breathed Narek with exhaustion for they had been busy clearing away corpses since the siege ended. 'Sodding Houses fighting each other is half the reason why we have lost so much to the Darkspawn' bitterly complained the other Scout as they went back to pick another body but were halted when they heard the peal of a horn from the walls.

For a moment, each of the dwarves thought that it would be more Darkspawn but the pattern which the horn was being blown signified that it was not enemy reinforcements but rather, aid from Orzammar.

'Oh well would you look at that?' spoke Narek 'the help you sent for just arrived.'

Several heads were turned to direction of the cave's entrance and they all saw the distant figures of other dwarves gathering. Better to have them and not need them rather than not have them but need them supposed Everin as he and Narek went back to clearing out corpses.

* * *

The blissfulness of sleep was interrupted by the peal of a horn which jolted Sereda awake. Years of playing the deadly political games of Orzammar had long ago taught her to sleep light for there were many ways which an assassin could quietly kill a person in their sleep and leave no trace. When the peals formed a certain pattern, she realized that it was dwarven reinforcements and the knowledge of it gave the Princess a terrible gut feeling.

If it were more Legionnaires then things should be all right but if it were reinforcements from Orzammar then she needed to avoid being detected at all costs lest it be discovered that the Princess was still alive. Having returned the equipment which she had borrowed from the Legion's storeroom, the Princess was left with nothing but a cleaned set of commoner's clothing and no weapons. It would not be good to jump to conclusions jut yet thought Sereda who tried to calm herself before slipping on a pair of shoes and getting off of her bed again.

There were fewer dwarves within the sleeping quarters now for most of the Legionnaires and the non-Warrior Caste folk were busy with burning the dead Darkspawn and assessing the damage towards the walls. In fact, the only other dwarf in the chamber was Vanyra who had been sleeping nearby and had also gotten up as well while looking towards the Princess with an alarmed looked on her face.

'What does that horn mean?' asked the Engineer in Orlesian with an alarmed tone in her voice and Sereda guessed that the her recent companion was also used to sleeping lightly.

'Dwarven reinforcements, nothing to worry about, I hope' replied Sereda who tried to sound confident and reassuring.

'But what if they are from that city of yours, Orzammar?' questioned Vanyra 'the ones who have condemned you for fratricide?'

'Yes, that is a possibility... but it could also be more Legionnaires' answered the Princess who suddenly had an idea in case it was otherwise. 'You know, if those dwarves are from Orzammar' said Sereda 'they will want you to teach them how to make those weapons of yours and well, remember what I said about how things are over there?'

Vanyra became silent for a moment with a thoughtful look on her face and she immediately got off her bed as well and went towards the strongbox at the foot of the bed. The Engineer then opened the container and she pulled out an odd looking, cylinder shaped device that seemed to be made from bronze.

'Is that a looking glass?' asked the princess who had heard of such device being used by surface dwellers.

'Aye it is' replied Vanyra who tucked the object into a loop of her belt. 'I am going to the wall just to take a look' announced the Engineer 'you should come with me.'

'Let's go' nodded the princess and the two of them made their way out of the sleeping quarters and back into the halls of Isanammar.

* * *

It did not take long for the two _rinns_ to make their way to the wall and by the time they got to the ramparts, there was little need for the looking glass which Vanyra carried. Upon the walls, they could see the gathered force of dwarves who approached the fortress with proud banners held high. As the Engineer expected, there were no symbols which she found familiar among them, each bore insignias of foreign designs and she noted that Sereda was focusing her gaze upon one particular standard of white gold which formed a semblance of a bearded face.

'Whose standards do those belong to?' asked Vanyra who pointed at them.

'Houses Gavorn, Ivo, Helmi and Aeducan…' hissed Sereda through gritted teeth and it was all Vanyra needed to know.

Already, the Engineer had begun to have second thoughts about showing these dwarfs some of the knowledge of the Guild of Engineer for she had asked the greybeard smith, Olek Vorne about the kinstrife which Sereda had spoken of and he had confirmed that it was both true and fairly common among their kind. Such knowledge could only do more harm than good she thought for if the dwarfs of this Orzammar were as prolific as the _Dawi_, and then the resulting bloodshed would be too catastrophic. It may be best, decided the Engineer that when gets back to _Karaz Ankor_, she should inform the Engineers Guild and let them decide on whether they should teach these other dwarfs or not.

'We need to leave' muttered Sereda.

'But those other dwarfs are already near the gate, if we leave now they will see us' pointed out the Engineer.

'Oh sod your right' replied Sereda 'then we may have to lay low for a while and try not to be spotted.'

'It will be for the best' nodded Vanyra and the two of them began to head to the nearest stairwell.

'I will talk to the fort's Commander, maybe he can help us' Sereda then said.

'Right and I will try to hide my equipment' replied the Engineer who knew that she needed to talk to the Greybearded Smith.

It was a shame really that such knowledge would also lead to unnecessary destruction but on many occasions over the course of her travels, Vanyra had seen how the race of Men often used such destructive weapons on one another, rather than more deserving foes such as the greenskins, skaven, chaos, the undead or elves. The few but bitter wars between the _Dawi_ and the either the _Thagorrak_i or the hated _Frurndar _were a testament to how devastating conflicts between technologically advanced forces could be. The last thing Vanyra needed to was to indirectly be the cause of some arms race that would later lead to many dwarfish deaths.

* * *

'Well this was a sodding waste of time' quietly complained Bargrin from behind Vetek as they marched to the opened gates of Isanammar.

They had fought their way past several Darkspawn which counted for something at least but the monsters proved to be far more concerned about fleeing from the fortress rather than facing the reinforcements they had brought from Orzammar. Many had been cut down by the disciplined volleys of fire from the dwarven archer companies and when the fighting came eventually moved into the tunnels, the Berserkers which made short work of the things. It was then that they came upon the Darkspawn who were fighting among each other in an effort to establish leadership and the beasts didn't know what hit them by the time the dwarves hit them.

At the least, the Darkspawn had managed to put up at a semblance of a unified defense once they realized that there were enemies in their midst but it was already too late for the dwarves had crushed them like Nugs before a Maul. Vetek supposed that they had done some good for the extermination of so many of the ancient enemy was always something to celebrate about and to work up a thirst. Still, he was rather disappointed by how things turned out and as he and the reinforcements drew closer, he could see that the other Legionnaires felt the same way.

The sight of the proud fortress still standing with many burning mounds of dead Darkspawn before it was at least a welcoming sight to the Legionnaire as the others hailed them. Among those who were dragging away corpses, he saw the Scout, Everin and another one named Narek who gave the returning Legionnaires a salute.

'Looks like we just missed a nice big scrap here!' boomed Bargrin whose maces armor was caked in Darkspawn blood.

'You honestly did not miss much!' replied Everin who respectfully pounded his right fist over his heart before looking to the reinforcements who came.

Glancing back, Vetek saw the commanding group of Nobles and their retainers coming to the fore. Of the Legionnaires who were gathered outside the gates, some offered formal salutes and greetings to these nobles while others simply nodded and went back to burning the dead. At the head of the Nobles was one Ragnan Aeducan, a lesser lord of the Royal House who wore a fine suite of ornate massive armor forged from Veridium and crafted by the Smith Caste.

The Aeducan lord was a brown bearded fellow who looked to be in his early twenties. Like many warriors of the Noble Caste, he had the strong, arrogant and commanding presence of an aristocrat which came with the patrician features of his House. Had the young lord been part of the main family, he probably would have been next in line after the late Prince Trian but such was hardly the case for there were many who were way ahead of lord Ragnan in terms of succession.

'I see you Legionnaires did not need our help after all!' observed the Noble who observed the site of the former battlefield.

'The Darkspawn tried to use only Emissaries and Ogres to break down the gates my lord' reported Everin in a dutiful manner. 'They had the numbers to pose a major threat but I think we managed to actually kill the Vanguard that was leading them'.

The Noble raised a curious eyebrow at the Scout's words and he looked up to the walls before looking to the burning piles of bodies.

'Was their Vanguard among the attacking waves?' asked the Noble with some skepticism.

'I do not think so my lord' answered Everin. 'I believe the Darkspawn Vanguard that led this rabble was trying to whittle away at our defenses and if I had to guess, then it would mean that it was directing the horde from behind until it could break through the gates.'

Lord Ragnan then looked to his Second, another dwarf in veridium massive armor and the warrior nodded and quietly said something about how it matches with some of the tactics commonly used by the Darkspawn. This gave the Noble another curious look as he then looked to the entrance of the cavern where there were still many dead Darkspawn which had yet to be cleared away. Vetek could see the puzzlement on the lord's face as he probably calculated for many warriors in Orzammar were at least knowledgeable about the nuances of archery, whether it be with bow or crossbow.

'Are you saying that one of you managed to actually to hit the leader of this horde, all the way from the walls to the other side of the cavern?' asked the Noble with incredulity.

'I do not think that it was any of us my lord' replied Everin which drew another confused look from the Noble and the Scout was quick to give an explanation. 'According to some of the other archers on the wall, the one who they believed had slain the Vanguard was a surfacer of whom I had earlier brought to Isanammar.'

'A surfacer?' questioned the Noble and by Vetek's guess, it was that girl with the grey cloak, the red hair and all those weird objects which old Vorne was going crazy over. 'Was it a Warden?' asked the Noble for the Grey Wardens were supposed to be capable of extraordinary feats of martial skill and Orzammar had recently been visited by group of them. He couldn't believe that warriors from that esteemed Order would actually leave with some branded scum who had made an embarrassment of Orzammar by ruining a good Proving Tournament.

'No my lord' said Everin 'a dwarven girl from the Surface Caste with powerful weapons from there I think'.

'Really? Well that sounds rather intriguing' spoke the Noble who soon became silent as they heard the distinct sound of several armored warriors moving towards them.

The Legionnaires and the reinforcements saw the Commander and a group of the more senior members of the Legion coming towards them. Vetek, Bargrin, Everin, Narek and every Legionnaire who was outside of the walls respectfully greeted the old Commander who had led them well for many years. The noble lord had a surprised look as he saw the Commander who had once directly served House Aeducan.

'A pleasure to see you again Lord Ragnan' greeted the Legion Commander and the two dwarves clasped one another with hands below the wrists.

'I… I did not think you were still alive unc- Commander Brodens' replied the Noble Lord.

'It has been a long time lad' smiled the Legion Commander and Vetek guessed that the two had known each other from before. 'Come, your warriors must be tired from their march and our stores are still well stocked' spoke the Commander whose ushered the reinforcements into Isanammar.

'Now why don't you lads go give us a hand here!' shouted Narek as struggled to drag a Genlock by the boots.

'Right then' nodded Vetek who along with Bargrin, joined their comrades in burning the dead Darkspawn.

* * *

Sereda's eyes widened as she ran to the gate which led to the stronghold's courtyard and in the distance, she saw the Legion Commander more than halfway through the space where the reinforcements from Orzammar now waited to be formally received. Hissing a curse, the princess turned about and quickly began walking back into the fortress. She could not risk the chance for Bhelen to know that she was still alive and despite the supposed loyalty of Commander Brodens, she was not about to put all of her trust into her father's former advisor.

The Princess soon made it back to the Legion's armory and she began to look for equipment which she could use to conceal herself. The equipment she had earlier used was still where she had left it but the armor would have been too obvious for it had yet to be painted and decorated to be in uniform with the rest of the Legion. Fortunately, there were spare suits of Legionnaire Armor nearby and she was quick to take what she could from the armor stands.

It took Sereda some time to get into the suit of massive armor which was far heavier compared to the one she had earlier just used. After struggling with the bronto-leather straps and the weight of the armored plates, she completed the set with a grim black helmet to conceal her face. The Princess then took a different pair of Waraxes which looked to be made from Dragonbone and she wondered on whether should take the Grey Warden crossbow again. Knowing that she needed to be able to blend in with the other Legionnaires, she then decided to simply get a different one and she acquired a crossbow made from a dark red colored wood and finally, she took a leather quiver of bolts which were marked and labeled with the words "Knockback" as well as another regular set.

Those might come in handy thought the princess who had in the past, seen how useful the specialized ammunition could be when facing off against Darkspawn Emissaries who were in the middle of casting spells. Now that she was fully garbed like the other Legionnaires, the Princess knew that she would need supplies and possibly a map of the Deep Roads Tunnels. Both were items which she was confident which she could find within the Isanammar and she knew just where to look.

* * *

'You can't be serious!?' exclaimed the greybeard, Olek Vorne in disbelief as he spoke in the language he called Ander which was suspiciously similar to Reikspiel.

'I am sorry, really I am' replied Vanyra with some remorse as she gathered up several pieces of her wargear and placed them into a sturdy but now overstuffed rucksack of tanned orc-hide.

'But what about showing us how to build those weapons of yours!?' called the greybeard 'those things you have just might be what we need to turn the tide of the war against the Darkspawn! It could even usher in a new era of progress for Orzammar!'

'But at what cost?' asked Vanyra for although she had been quite happy to earlier boast of the Guild of Engineer's technological achievements over the millennia, they had yet to discuss the traditions, laws and rules which all within the Guild followed and the reasons as of why they did so. 'You said that the dwarfs of your city, often fight among each other do they not?' questioned the Engineer.

'Yes they do but I still don't see how-' said the old dwarf who was immediately interrupted.

'I cannot, in good conscience entrust such knowledge to your folk not without the Guild's approval first' replied the Engineer in all honesty.

'What do you mean you can't entrust it to us!?' shouted the Smith in anger 'we had a deal!'

'Our deal was that I showed you what I have and you show me what you have and that was it!' retorted the Engineer as she lifted up her rucksack and she struggled with the weight of it all.

Vanyra had been unsuccessful in trying to convince the greybeard to help hide her wargear and the old man had been insistent that she show it to the rest his people so that they could study and replicate it. The Engineer had tried to explain her reasoning that such technology was dangerous to wield and that it would only lead to disaster.

'I cannot allow you leave here!' shouted the greybeard as he pulled up a crystalline wand that was attached to his apron and he began shouting words in the tongue of the _Dwarva_. The wand began to glow with an arcane light and the four _Gronti Duraz_ that were lying down on the slabs again began to generate the same glow. Whatever Rune Magic that had animated the things, now reawakened them and they rose up to a seated position.

'_Krut_' hissed Vanyra as she gently set down the rucksack and quickly drew both of her Repeater Pistols from their holsters.

'What are you going to do!? Shoot me!?' asked the greybeard rather incredulously as the stone beings rose up from their beds. 'Just lay down your arms and-' shouted the old dwarf who was cut off in mid sentence as a loud crack echoed across the workshop and the Engineer fired a blazing bullet which struck the crystalline wand and shattering it like glass.

'NOOOO!' roared the greybeard as electric sparks escaped from the wand he held and the magic within it dissipated along with those of the _Gronti Duraz_ which suddenly halted and became and still like ordinary statues.

The greybeard looked to the giants with horror and disbelief then he looked to the Engineer with a face that was a mask of sheer rage.

'Do you have any idea what you have done!?' roared the smith whose face began to become red. 'Those were priceless relics!? Heirlooms that have been in my family for generations! It will be impossible to use them now without the Control Rod!'

A sense of regret was felt by Engineer for as one of the _Dawi_, she deeply understood the importance of such treasures, especially with those that were built by dwarfish hands and the destruction of such things would have been a grave sin to the Ancestors had the wand been of _Dawi_-make. Immediately steeling herself, she aimed her right-hand pistol onto the smith and drew back the hammer so the next loaded tube would roll into place. A tense moment filled the workshop for every one of the smiths had seen just how destructiveness some of the Engineer weapons could be and were at least smart enough not to try and see if they could dodge a bullet.

The sound of several armoured boots and the clatter of plate armour drew closer and the Engineer cursed for the sound of the gunshot would have alerted any nearby guards. Giving a quick glance to the platform that was placed in front of the door leading out of the workshop, Vanyra saw several armed dwarves emerge through the entryway with most not wearing the black armor of the Legion. One of the dwarves who wore a richly decorated suit of armour, began demanding something in their tongue and the smith answered back in their language.

Mentally cursing for having little to no knowledge of what they were saying, Vanyra guessed that the old smith was making it look like that she was the aggressor in this! Quickly shouting some words in her defense while using Breton and hoping that someone would understand, there was a pause from among the dwarfs who seemed unsure of what to do. Angry words were shouted again by the old smith who was pointing a finger at the Engineer before another voice roared out.

The greybeard smith finally became silent as another elder in the black armor of the Legion of the Dead came forward and Vanyra recognized him as of being the commander in charge of the stronghold. Heated words were exchanged between the two elders before the commander turned his gaze towards Vanyra.

'What, happen?' he asked in a thickly accented but stilted Breton or what the dwarfs of this realm called Orlesian.

'I was just about to leave and he was going to use the golem to attack me!' replied the Engineer who pointed to the now still statues within the workshop and there was a look of shock on the face of the elder. The smith shouted something again to which the commander shouted back and it shut the smith up but not before the black armored warrior gave another hard look to the Engineer, it was one which demanded an explanation. 'If I teach your people how to build these weapons, they will eventually use it on one another!' said Vanyra.

Another tense moment of silence passed within the workshop and the Engineer began to darkly wonder whether she would have to shoot her way out.

'Leave, now' commanded the black armored elder in a cold manner 'no return, ever'.

Vanyra bowed her head to the elder in relief as he then calling orders to some of the other dwarfs in the workshop. The Smith's assistants obeyed and they began to move towards Vanyra who for a moment thought that they were going to try to apprehend her, but after noticing the cautious and non-threatening stances which they had adopted, she was quick to holster the two pistols. In response to this, the smith began to angrily shout again at the black armored commander before being silenced once more.

The other dwarfs who had arrived remained silent as the exchange between the two passed and the apprentices began to help the Engineer by carrying her equipment. Obeying the words of the commander, Vanyra made her way to the stairs with the apprentices behind her and she tried to avoid the smoldering look from the greybearded smith and the stronghold's commander. The reinforcements from the Hold of Orzammar made way for Vanyra with more than few who had the look of aristocrats having intrigued expressions as the Engineer passed them by.

Heading back out into the halls of the stronghold, Vanyra now felt like she was back in the middle of a human town with chaos cultists, _zangunaz_ bloodswains and _thagorraki _henchmen lying in wait.

* * *

Closing the door which led into the office of the Legion Commander, Sereda was glad that the door had been left unlocked and unguarded for it had been a simple thing for the princess to find a map of the Deep Roads. The map itself was rolled up and kept safely in a brass scroll tube which was now tied to her belt which had steel rivets placed into it and making it almost armored. The Princess had earlier found the time to raid the food stores of the fortress and take some rations such as Nug Jerky, Pickled Nug's Feet, Cured Nug Ham, loaves of Lichen Bread with a jar of Nug _pâté _to go with it and a few bottles Mosswine which probably would taste absolutely horrible.

Thankfully, the Legion was well stocked and the Princess hoped that the supplies she took would not be missed too much. Just in case though, Sereda did leave a letter in the office, apologizing for having to leave early and she made a list of what she took. As the princess took a few steps outside, she suddenly heard a loud crack echo across the halls from the direction of the workshop and her eyes widened in surprise.

Quickly increasing the pace of her steps, the Princess heard the sounds of several booted feet across the halls and she saw a group of warriors and nobles bearing the colors and apparel of various Noble Houses. Sereda immediately recognized one of the dwarves as of being her cousin, Ragnan who glanced towards her and for a moment the Princess thought that he would recognize. The other Aeducan paid little heed to Sereda before moving on towards the workshop and she was thankful for wearing the helmet.

Ragnan Aeducan was the son of one King Endrin's second cousins and as far as Sereda knew, was an old rival in the political games of Orzammar. He was a fairly good fighter, a skilled manipulator like anyone who survived for long in the courts and had been a major supporter of Trian. The Princess had no doubt that with Bhelen now next in line for the throne, her cousin would be quick to shift his allegiance.

Following after the group which accompanied Ragnan, the Princess hoped that nothing terrible had happened in the workshop. It was not that she had any genuine care for her recent companion but Sereda was smart enough to know that the Deep Roads can be a dangerous place and that she would rather have someone to watch her back than none at all. There was also the fact that Vanyra at least seemed knowledgeable about however things are on the surface and the Princess knew that if she was going to make it up there, she will need someone with experience.

Angry voices could be heard as Sereda drew closer to the workshop and she was shocked to hear the Master Smith speak about the Engineer destroying the Golem Control Rod. She then heard the Commander ask Vanyra about what had happened in a stilted Orlesian and the Engineer explained her reasons. Worried that Legion and the reinforcements from Orzammar would arrest Vanyra, she was surprised to hear the Commander giving the word in Orlesian to leave Isanammar and never come back.

Protest broke out among them but the Commander reminded the dwarves that he was still the commanding officer of the Legionnaires stationed in Isanammar. The others acquiesced to the Commander who then ordered for the Smith Caste apprentices to help Vanyra get her equipment and her beast of burden ready to leave. Soon the dwarves who had come from Orzammar made way for the Engineer who was followed by the smiths.

As Vanyra moved closer, Sereda quietly greeted the Engineer in Orlesian which drew a curious look from her companion before immediately realizing who was beneath the black plates.

'Nice armor you got there' commented the Engineer in a somewhat morose manner and the Princess accompanied them while acting like an armed escort.

'I got what we needed' quietly replied the Princess as they moved on.

'Then let's be off' said Vanyra in a way that just felt depressing 'I am getting tired of these tunnels…'

* * *

With a tired sigh of relief, Everin placed the last Darkspawn corpse onto the mound and he watched as a burly member of the Miner Caste began dumping pitch from a cask over the bodies. A Servant Caste Dwarf then came forward with a burning torch before tossing it onto the pile. Another fire roared to life as it began to eat at the bodies of the ancient foe and the sight of it was a satisfying one to the Legion Scout.

'Now that's a beautiful sight!' spoke Bargrin who spat a glistening wad of phlegm at the flames.

'I hope you all enjoy it because we still got the others to clear out' muttered Vetek who pointed to cave's main entrance where there were still the Darkspawn that had slaughtered one another along with those killed by the reinforcements.

A unified groan of dismay came from the Legionnaires who soon began to reorganize into groups before heading out. It was important that they clear away the Darkspawn for aside from the Taint which they bore, the smell of so many corpses would attract all manner of creatures such as Deepstalkers, Giant Spiders, Cave Beetles and other things looking for an easy meal. The last thing they needed were supply caravans and scouting parties getting attacked by hungry wildlife and this was the best thing they could do to prevent it from happening and the Legionnaires stoically marched on towards the entrance of the Lyrium rich cavern to fulfill their duty.

When they came almost halfway past the field, Everin felt and armored hand over his right shoulder and he looked to see Kajja who tilted her head in the direction of Isanammar and the Scout glanced back to see what was up. From the open gates, he saw three figures walking out, two were clearly dwarves and the last was the four legged animal from the surface. Well that was a short stay, thought the Legionnaire Scout as he instantly figured out that it was the two he had found in the Deep Roads.

'I will be right back' said Everin to the former Silent Sister who gave a quite nod before he turned around and headed back to the stronghold. Waving an arm at the two women, he saw the more lightly armored one; Vanyra raised her own arm in response. 'Leaving already?' asked the Legionnaire Scout as he came within conversational distance between the two.

'Not by our choice' replied the muffled voice of Princess Aeducan who strode next to her companion.

'Has the Commander assigned the two of you a guide?' asked the Scout who guessed that something had happened but back in the stronghold but had little desire to pry into what was not his business.

The two of them had stood with the Legion during the siege and according to the others who had been on the walls, the strange foreigner had done much to wreak havoc among the Darkspawn and was even the one who killed the enemy army's leader with a single shot. And so by his reckoning, they had earned at least a small measure of respect from the Legion.

'No but we have a map so we should be fine as long as we do not run into too many Darkspawn' answered the Princess with nod.

'I see, well I hope the Ancestors grant you their favor then my lady' replied the Scout with a respectful bow as he stepped aside and allowed them to pass through.

'And may you die with a sword in your hand' said the Princess with gravitas and her companion said something that sounded like a farewell in a rumbling tongue while leading her pack beast by its reins.

Well time to get back to work thought the Legionnaire Scout who honestly was not looking forward to doing more heavy lifting. Look on the brought side he mused to himself, maybe the smell of the dead will stick on them and attract at least something that might prove tough enough to kill them. By the time he rejoined the others and the two women had already left, he was alerted by Kajja again of others leaving Isanammar.

A distant group of four dwarves in massive armor were leaving the stronghold and none had the black of the Legion. Everin had a fairly good idea on what they were up to but again, it was not his business. His job right now was to go burn some dead Darkspawn and after that, he hoped to finally find something that be the end of him.

* * *

The journey through the Deep Roads proved to be surprisingly free of any Darkspawn for the only signs of the monsters which they saw were corpses that had been left behind by the soldiers from Orzammar and destroyed territorial markers. Of anything else though, Sereda and her companion kept watch with crossbows loaded and ready. Having already studied the map, the Princess found a tunnel that would lead up to the surface but exactly where though, she was not sure.

Vanyra on the other hand seemed like she had little need for a guide as they wandered through the tunnels for the Engineer had claimed that she could feel the earth becoming thinner. Sereda was not exactly sure what how her companion would even know and as far as the Princess herself was concerned they were just underground, in the Deep Roads where the Darkspawn laired. At the least, they were still well supplied and had made good enough progress along the tunnels to the point that Sereda wondered on whether she may have over-packed a bit.

Sereda then used her left hand to open a satchel on the side of her belt and she from it, she flipped open a fold of paper-like material which contained within it, several strips of Nug-Jerky. Taking one strip of dried meat, the Princess quickly offered one to her companion.

'What is this?' asked Vanyra with some curiosity as she took the strip.

'Just dried strips of Nug Jerky' replied Sereda 'it shouldn't be as tough as that _Traggot_ of yours'. The Engineer then took an experimental bite out of the Jerky and after a few chews, was quick to nod her approval.

'Not bad' Vanyra then said as the Princess took another piece for herself and bit off a piece. 'What else did you bring?' asked the Engineer.

'I brought a lot of preserved meats, Nug mostly, and some Lichen Bread if you can handle that stuff' said the Princess with some disdain.

'Ugh, that does not sound appetizing' replied Vanyra in a disgusted tone 'cant be as bad as _durazbrog_'

'What is… _durazbrog_?' questioned the Princess who did her best in slowly enunciating the rumbling words for it was quite different from the ancient Dwarven Language.

'It means, Stone Bread' answered Vanyra with good humor. 'In Karaz Ankor, we bake a type of long-lasting bread that is made from wild grains and pulverized stones that have been crushed into sand.'

'That sounds absolutely horrible!' exclaimed Sereda.

'We usually eat it during desperate times and often we drink a lot of beer to help flush it down' added Vanyra.

'I can imagine so' spoke the Princess 'you dwarves from Karaz Ankor don't all make your food extremely tough do you?'

'Of course not!' replied the Engineer with a light laugh. 'Oh you should see the feast halls back home' said the Engineer with nostalgia in her eyes 'imagine a warm hearth nearby with friends and family around you, sturdy wooden tables with big platters containing whole mountains of steaming mashed potatoes, slabs of cheese half the size of anvils, loaves of dark and yeasty waybread, grilled blind-fish seasoned with mushrooms, warm gooey treacle cakes, roasted boar, fowl, venison and other game meats which would be placed over freshly baked sourdough with the fat dripping just dripping onto it oh and the _Kuri_!'

'By the ancestors that does sound good' said the Princess who remembered the grand feast that had been recently given in honor of her commission as a commander. It all seemed like a lifetime ago, thought Sereda.

'Aye it is, especially during holidays, and the Beer!' continued Vanyra 'no offense but the ale those Legionnaires served was just horrible'.

'None taken' nodded Sereda in agreement. 'In Orzammar, most drinks are made from mushrooms, fungi, lichen, moss and dirt while the most high quality ones use ingredients from the surface.'

'Valaya's silver cups, seriously?' asked the Engineer with disbelief 'any self respecting brewer in Karaz Ankor would rather shave his beard than make something with those ingredients!'.

'You don't have to tell me twice' said the Princess who remembered the bottles of Mosswine which she brought and she was not looking forward to eventually having to drink those.

'When we stop to make camp, I will open up the cask of Gilded Tongue and let you try some' Vanyra then said as she looked towards one of the many objects secured on the back of her mule 'I can tell you that just one sip of Gilded Tongue and it will feel like being on the slopes of the World's Edge with mountain flowers in the bloom while a warm breeze kisses your skin.'

'I will take you up on that' said the Princess with amusement as they carried on.

They would continue to travel through the ancient ruins of the old Dwarven Empire, passing by the highways and thaigs and while occasionally having to navigate around places where cave-ins happened. The two of them would continue to converse and make small talk to pass the time while learning more about one another along with dwarves of both realms. It was a sad thing for Sereda to learn that the dwarves of Karaz Ankor had much in common with her own people for both were now shadows of their former glories and were dying out from a series of never-ending wars.

Eventually, when weariness began to get to the Princess who had been marching the whole way in the black, massive armor of the Legion, she asked if they should make camp soon.

'We are close now to the surface' Vanyra had said in response 'the air is getting colder now and I can feel a slight draft.'

Now that the Engineer had mentioned it, Sereda had indeed noted that the temperatures within the Deep Roads had dropped and their air had a strange, crisp quality to it, like the gates which led out of Orzammar whenever foreign guests or merchants were allowed in and out.

'Right, let's keep going then' breathed the Princess who suddenly began to feel a measure of anxiety at being so close to the surface now.

* * *

'Do we really have to follow them all the way?' said the nervous voice of Lonar from behind.

'Keep it down! Do you want them to hear us!?' hissed Magrek as he looked back to his companions with a scowl. Four dwarves dressed in suits of heavy Massive Armor were gathered in the darkness of the Deep Roads, each one carried a one-handed weapon and a Targe which proudly bore the heraldry that marked their allegiance to House Aeducan. In retrospect, she should have equipped lighter sets of equipment for what they wore now may have provided much defense but it slowed them down significantly.

'But we are so close to the surface' said Lonar with a hint of panic 'what if we find ourselves in the open or get touched by sunlight? We will lose our connection to the Stone!'

'It won't happen, now shut it and keep moving!' growled Magrek and the other dwarves obeyed.

By the Paragons, why did this have to happen to him? Thought the dwarf for he too was not quite pleased with the idea of being too close to the surface. When they had left from Orzammar, he expected to fight some Darkspawn, rest up at the stronghold if they won and then head back to the city, not go on some wild Nug-chase. Orders were orders he reminded himself for Lord Ragnan had been very keen about finding whether it was true that Princess Aeducan had survived.

Back at the stronghold of Isanammar, some Legionnaires had mentioned something about one of their own bringing back two strangers found in the Deep Roads. One was some foreign dwarf from the Surface Caste who carried some odd but powerful weapons from there while the other was described with having a number of physical features that were consistent with the Princess. Lord Ragnan probably thought that if he could acquire these surface weapons which the Master Smith had been getting his furnace all fired up about and capture the exiled Princess who was supposed to have died fighting Darkspawn then Prince Bhelen would reward him for when he ascends to the throne.

Magrek honestly hated the political games of the Nobles and the recent deaths of the Crown Prince Trian and the exile of the Princess just stank of intrigue. They should be focusing on the damn Darkspawn thought the dwarf who had fought them as much as his fellow dwarves. Times like this, he wondered about whether he should join up with the Legion because at least they had their priorities straight.

There was not much he could about it now he supposed as he and his company followed the tracks left behind by the two who had not even stopped to rest. The dwarves who accompanied him were already growing agitated about being sun-touched and they looked just about ready to turn tail and flee. If that happened, Magrek would have to knock some sense into them with the business end of his mace but as long as they maintained their discipline then hopefully, things should hopefully go smoothly.

Until then, they still had a mission to complete and Magrek was not willing to return empty handed if he could help it.

* * *

Crisp cold air began to fill the interior of the rocky tunnel which were now covered in rime and the very smell of it began to invigorate Vanyra who quickened her pace as her puffs of mist escaped her lips. Sereda struggled to keep up in her heavy plate armour while the Engineer still wore her shirt of enchanted steel chainmail that had originally been forged by the _Dawi_. It was times like this that Vanyra was glad that she preferred to use the same sort of armour used by the Rangers and this particular suit had proven to be reliable over her travels.

Soon the Engineer began to notice a difference in the light up ahead and she grinned in recognition for it was sunlight.

'Come on, we are almost there!' eagerly said Vanyra who tugged at _Got_'s reins for although she felt at home being underground, she also felt just as comfortable above it like any dwarf from the surface clans.

'Easy for you to say!' rasped Sereda whose every footstep caused her plate armour to clatter and after a few minutes, Vanyra finally saw it.

At the end of the tunnel, the Engineer saw the blue twilight before sunrise and as she drew closer, she glanced back to see Sereda slowing down.

'Are you all right?' asked Vanyra who quickly remembered that this should be her companion's first time in seeing the sky.

'I… I am all right, I am just…' replied Sereda who then took a deep breath and Vanyra saw that behind the visor, her companion closed her eyes and the Engineer could hear the deep inhale and then exhale of breath.

'You can do this, the light won't hurt you' said Vanyra who tried to adopt a more comforting tone, like the way a human mother would talk to a scared child. Sereda nodded to her and after another deep breath, she stepped forward in a more confident manner.

The blue twilight became more prominent as they moved closer to the mouth of the cave where the wind howled and snow drifted inside, forming a light blanket of frost. Their boots crunched the ice underfoot as frozen stalactites hung dangerously above them along with stalagmites that jutted upwards. It was then that the Engineer finally stepped out of the cave and into the open with nothing but snow, sky and the wind all around her.

Glancing back, she saw Sereda was now in the midst of removing her helmet and as she lifted it up, the Engineer saw the conflicted expression upon her companion's face. A mixture of fear, awe and disbelief was etched upon the face of Sereda as her eyes beheld the open sky where snow lightly drifted down to the earth. Looking around to see if there was anything useful, Vanyra found that they were on the slope of a mountain with many frost covered trees which might make for good firewood, some shrubs and grass which were also coated with snow and…

Down the slope, she saw a burning campfire with wagons around it and she looked more closely, the Engineer saw what was clearly a cobbled road nearby.

'Hey look over there!' said the Engineer towards Sereda whose daze was immediately broken and she gave a confused look to Vanyra before turning her head to the direction of the campfire.

'Are those people down there?' asked Sereda and it was a good thing that the Engineer still had her looking glass.

Retrieving the bronze tube and extending it to its full length, Vanyra the device over her right and she took a closer look. The wagons were being pulled by sleeping oxen and around the campfire were several blanketed figures that were a mix of dwarfs, humans and even some rather large guard dogs. Some of the figures were clearly lying down upon the snow and sleeping while others were sentries who tightly clutched weapons with cold hands.

'Looks like a merchant caravan by my guess' said Vanyra as she handed the looking glass to Sereda who cautiously took the device in her gauntleted hands and she studied it for a moment before placing one eye on the narrow end. 'Hopefully we can catch a ride on one of those wagons' said the Engineer who was looking forward to being able to rest her feet for a bit.

A gasp was suddenly heard from Sereda who then just dropped the looking glass and began sprinting down the slope while kicking up clods of snow.

'Oh what in Morgrim's Gears?' whispered the Engineer with surprise before picking up the Looking Glass and folding it. Now what got into her? wondered Vanyra before pulling again on the reins of her mule and carefully making her way down the slope and following after her companion.

As the Engineer and her pack animal made their way down, she saw her companion trip and tumbled down the slope and into a thick bed of snow. Vanyra's eyes widened in surprise and for a moment, she thought that her companion might have gotten hurt but in a quick moment, Sereda was up again running towards the caravan. The wind continued to howl against the Engineer who was long ago grown used to such adversity and like all _Dawi_, she took pride in being able to weather it.

The guard dogs then began to bark in the distance and those among the caravan who had been sleeping were now awake with guards drawing their weapons. Muttering a curse towards her companion, Vanyra began to wonder if the Longbeards who grumbled about sun and open air being bad for the health may actually have a kernel of truth to it.

* * *

The party of dwarves halted again as ice formed on the rocky walls of the cave where the air had become so much colder and it blew against them.

'We can't go any further!' said one dwarf named Folgren with superstitious dread 'a few more steps and we will be sun-touched!'

'And fail in our duty?' said Magrek with a mixture of contempt and frustration for he knew that they were right.

'We will just have to say that we lost them!' said Lonar 'Or that it really was the Princess and she made it to the surface!'

'It is the truth' added Jodun.

For a long moment, Magrek glared at his companions while feeling disgusted towards them and as loathe as he was to admit it, he agreed with them. In a few more steps, they would be fully exposed to the surface and with it; they would lose their connection to the Stone itself and be considered Casteless.

'Let's go back and report our findings to Lord Ragnan' sighed Magrek in defeat for he was just as unwilling as the rest of his group in becoming brands.

There were many things which a dwarf could lose such as prestige, wealth or honor but to become Lost to the Stone was among the worst for it meant that they would be stricken from the memories and upon death, they would be cast aside along with the Casteless of Dust Town. There were worst things to lose and if it truly was the Princess and a Surfacer who had gone topside then they would no longer be a problem for Orzammar or to House Aeducan.

* * *

Running pell-mell through the deep snow which reached up to her armored thighs, Sereda could now see figures of dwarves, humans and those four legged creatures called Mabari which the latter kept as pets, companions and guards. The hounds barked at the Princess who had removed her helmet and she felt the intense cold upon her cheeks which were now rosy in color. Keeping her arms out where the guards at the caravan could see them, she saw a pair of tall humans now moving towards her.

'Halt right there dwarf!' shouted one man in chainmail who spoke in the Common Tongue and holding a crossbow in his hands while another carried a sword and shield. Doing as they said, Sereda stopped in her tracks while heavily panting in an attempt to catch her breath.

'Now what you doing running around like that out in the cold here?' asked the other human with the sword in shield whose Fereldan accent was very thick 'you aint being chased by Red Lion are you?'

Still trying to catch her breath, Sereda tried to speak but she noticed movement from behind the two humans who also looked back and they made way.

'My… My Lady Aeducan?' spoke the familiar, gravelly voice of Gorim Saelac with utter disbelief.

'You know this one?' asked the crossbowman who was ignored by Sereda's Second and he began to movelimp towards her.

Barely held back tears of joy were just about to flow from the eyes of the Princess as she broke into a run again and before she knew it, she had knocked Gorim down into the frozen ground and had fallen with him while giving the knight a strong embrace.

'Maybe you manlings should give these two some privacy' came another voice that was muffled, deep and baritone which was followed by the sound of clattering plates.

Looking up from her Second, Sereda saw a fierce looking dwarf who wore an ornate horned helmet, his face was covered by fearsome a metal mask which was wrought with an expression of grim contempt and behind the dark hole for the mask's eyes, there were two copper colored eyes which seemed amused at the sight of her knocking down Gorim. A great beard that was white as the snow that surrounded them, spilled out from underneath that mask and it reached to his knees. There were discs of bronze which proudly displayed stylized ancestor faces, exquisite gems or glowing runes that decorated the length of facial hair along with jeweled bracelet-like pieces of ornamentation.

The dwarf's armour was mostly concealed by his beard but from what the Princess could see, he was probably wearing some form of heavy armor which was made from some unknown, blued steel and a kilt which had rectangular plates attached to it. He also wore two pauldrons which were decorated with bronze hammers and below that were bulging muscuslar that were protected by metal armlets which was followed by heavy gauntlets which were just as ornate as the rest of his gear. A woolen cloak of deep blue was worn over the shoulders of this stranger and along the edges, she saw exquisite golden embroidery which formed a perfectly woven set of interlocked chains.

This dwarf Sereda realized could not be one of Orzammar, nor could he possibly be of Kal Sharok or anywhere from their broken realm but surely from the foreign, Karaz Ankor. Gripped in the right hand of this foreign dwarf was an ornate staff that was topped with a small anvil which was etched with glowing runes. The back of a large round targe could also be seen upon the back of this dwarf and dangling from his left hip was a gilded hammer which also bore glowing runes.

'Cranneg Kargunson?' suddenly spoke the surprised voice of Vanyra Skorrisdottir from behind and Sereda quickly looked back to see the Engineer with a look of disbelief on her face as she face this foreign stranger.


	6. Dum

'By Thungni's Hammmer, Little Vany, is that you?' came the surprised, muffled voice of Master Runesmith, Cranneg "_Rhungand_" Kargunson of the Royal Clan Donarkhun and of Karak Azul. Flabbergasted at the sight this esteemed _Rhunki_ who was a second cousin to the mighty King Kazador and an old comrade of her late brother, Thori Skorisson; Vanyra immediately regained her wits and bowed down in respect to the noble lord. 'There is little need for that child' said the Runesmith and the Engineer stood while noticing the curious looks from other dwarfs and humans around her.

'So… who is your friend there?' asked Sereda in Breton/Orlesian with a tone that was somewhat embarrassed after embracing the male dwarf who had a rather short, well groomed beard that was heavily braided below the mouth with four more short tails around the chin.

Feeling slightly embarrassed as well, Vanyra was about to introduce the Runesmith to her companion but Cranneg politely raised his right hand to the Engineer and he did the introduction himself. He greeted Sereda in their tongue, the one which sounded similar to what was spoken by the humans of misty Albion and her companion gave a respectful gesture to him. From the caravan, there came a rather portly beardless dwarf with graying red hair and wearing a dark brown tunic and beige pantaloons.

The other dwarf spoke in the same language, probably asking who both Sereda and Vanyra were. The short bearded one introduced Sereda to him while Cranneg did likewise for the Engineer and there was a surprised look on the portly dwarf's face who then gave another look to Vanyra's recent companion. The Runesmith then looked to Vanyra and he introduced the Engineer to them.

'Vanyra Skorrisdottir I would like you to meet Sir Gorim Saelac of the Warrior Caste' said the Runesmith who switched back to Reikspiel while gesturing to the male dwarf who Sereda had embraced before turning to the portly one 'and this is Dulan Vegris of the Merchant Caste.'

'_Je suis tres heureus de faire votre connaissance_' bowed Dulan in greeting.

'A pleasure' politely replied Vanyra while switching back to Breton and trying to avoid showing any hint of discomfort at the sight such beardlessness among a dwarf.

'The two of your must be very cold' politely said the portly merchant 'come sit by the fire, the chill of the Frostback can be harsh to the unwary.'

* * *

Keeping his hands close to the campfire, Lukas tried to keep himself warm from the blasted cold of the Frostback Mountains. A blanket of thick fur was wrapped around his shoulder as his exposed palms faced the glowing flames. Aside from the crackling of the burning logs, the howl of the frozen wind and the snores of those who slept, he also heard the crunching of snow as the newcomers came to the fire as well.

There were two dwarf women who had just arrived, both of whom seemed to be known by some of the other dwarves who had been accompanying the caravan. One was a rather attractive warrior maiden who wore a suit of black armor which was adorned with an insignia depicting a bearded dwarf's skull and Lukas could see that she carried two waraxes of dwarf-make along with a crossbow and quiver of bolts. The other dwarf woman was also rather pretty in a nicely plump sort of way with auburn hair and green eyes while dressed in a strange design of chainmail armor; she also looked to be just as well armed as the black armored one.

Giving a polite smile and a nod to the newcomers as they briefly made eye contact, the dwarves quietly returned the gesture beforing sitting by the fire as well. Lukas had never been that lucky with women in past and he doubted that his luck would suddenly change but he honestly would not mind the idea of being in a relationship with a dwarf or an elf. A soft sigh escaped his lips along with a mist of cold air and he focused his attention on keeping himself warm.

It had been a long trip from Jader he thought while remembering the package which he had just picked up in Orzammar. As long as he kept quiet about it and did not do anything that might raise suspicions, he should be fine. He hoped that after this last run, he would have enough money to make it back home to the Free Marches.

* * *

Four pewter steins were passed among the dwarves and Vanyra provided the drink by twisting the valve attached to the spigot of her cask which was filled with Gilded Tongue. Light golden liquid poured from the cask and into each stein while white bubbly foam formed at the top. After each container was filled, Cranneg spoke a word to Sereda and the other dwarf, Gorim before nodding to the Engineer and they made a toast before eagerly imbibing the libations.

Gilded Tongue was a type of light beer which was flavoured with honey. While definitely no Bugman's, it was a proper _Dawi_-brewed drink and so much better than that black sludge which the Engineer had been served not long ago in Isanammar. The beer went down her throat quite smoothly and she began to feel a comforting warmth in her belly.

'So how did you get all the way out here Little Vany?' asked the Runesmith in Reikspiel, his masked helmet now lay upon his lap while his rune staff rested beside him and his gauntleted hands held onto the stein.

'I was passing through the Border Princes from my way back to Khazid Zon from the Karak Izor' explained Vanyra who set her own mug upon her lap 'but I had an… incident along the way with some _Grobi_ and _Ogri _then next thing I know, I am here'.

'You were all the way in Copper Mountain?' asked Cranneg with surprise 'were you on Guild business?'

'I was on… personal business' she then said with hesitation which drew a curious look from the Runesmith. With a sigh, Vanyra then reached for the thick tome tied to her belt and she presented the cover of it to the Runesmith.

'Is… Is that Thori's _Kron_?' breathed the _Rhunki_ with reverence for the book which Vanyra carried was merely a copy of something which all _Dawi_ considered sacred. 'No, it is just a copy… of his' quietly said the Engineer.

'_Tromm_' spoke Cranneg with respect and sadness 'Thori completed his oath as a Slayer then?'

'Aye he did' nodded Vanyra who remembered that fateful meeting back at the Troll's Toll in Karaz-a-Karak which set the Engineer on the path that would lead to so many adventures across the Old Word. The two of them took a big gulp from their steins while Sereda conversed with Gorim.

'So you became a Reckoner then?' asked Cranneg.

'I took the Oath and I declared myself Oath-sworn to family and clan' nodded Vanyra.

'You do your Ancestors proud child' spoke the Runesmith in a fatherly tone.

'I was just doing what any _Dawi_ should' replied Vanyra and a moment of silence passed between. 'So what of you then?' asked the Engineer 'how did you end up here?'

'Not much to say really' shrugged Cranneg. 'I was just at Karak Azgal, helping out with reclaiming lost relics, then there was a damned _thaggoraki_ invasion!'

'_Krutting_ skaven' hissed the Engineer with disdain for the rat-kin were considered among the worst enemies of dwarfenkind, next to the Greenskins and the followers of Chaos. There had been many occasions on her journeys when Vanyra had encountered the verminous things and there were many a time she had reason to set a grudge upon them, a grudge which would be rectified in short order.

'Killed a lot of the buggers I did' continued the Runesmith with a measure of pride as he placed his right hand away from his stein and patted the anvil head of his rune staff. 'So anyway, I get into a fight with one of those horned rat-kin which then tries to pull a fast one the moment it starts losing, then after that, I get dragged into some magic portal, ended up in a library where I thought I would have to fight a Lord of Change, then I get flown into another portal where I ended up in that Hold of theirs, Orzammar.'

'You were there?' asked the Engineer with surprise for despite the regular bouts of kinstrife, the way which Sereda had described the Hold earlier during their journey from Isanammar and her companion had made the place sound like a something truly worth beholding.

'I was and what a shame that I could not stay for long' replied the Runesmith.

'Oh and why would you say that?' questioned the Engineer.

'They had many interesting pieces of craftsmanship' explained Cranneg with academic interest for the Runesmith was from Karak Azul, the Hold which was well famed for having some of, if not the best weapon, armour and rune smiths in all of Karaz Ankor. 'The Runecraft I could have learned over there in Orzammar' he then said 'they actually even had working _Gronti Duraz_ over there.'

'Oh that is… fascinating' replied the Engineer with some discomfort at the mention of the golems.

'And the materials they used for crafting! Oh what I could forged with it!' continued the Runesmith who gave as sigh of resignation and there was a regretful look on his face. 'Well I will tell you the rest later child' said the Runesmith 'we have a long journey ahead and both you and your friend look like they need the rest.'

'Where is this caravan headed to?' asked Vanyra.

'Some human lands called the Bannorn and from what I hear, there is always some sort of war going on among them, typical of manlings really' was the Runesmith's answer before draining the last dregs from his stein. 'I am actually heading to a city called Amaranthine' added the Runesmith 'from there I plan to take a… ugh, boat to some place called the Tevinter Imperium where we might find something that could help us in getting back to our world.'

'Getting back?' questioned the Engineer with some confusion.

'Aye, haven't you noticed it?' replied Cranneg. 'The vibrations of the earth are different here and the Winds of Magic do not exist as well.

'The Winds do no exits?' asked Vanyra with utter surprise for she already had some suspicions but had no concrete proof in validating it.

'Aye' nodded the Runesmith 'and from what I have learned, the people of this world rely on something called The Fade to work their own magic and the thing which they call Lyrium is connected to it.'

'You mean like Warpstone?' asked the Engineer with surprise and immediate suspicion for in her travels, she had seen many examples of the folly of using such a dangerous material which was nothing more than purely solidified Chaos Magic.

'Indeed but it is far safer to use compared to Warpstone' said the Runesmith.

'I will take your word for it' nodded the Engineer who remembered how the smith, Olek Vorne had mentioned that this Lyrium stuff could be used to replicate the effects of blackpowder and that it was also used to empower their own rune magic.

'Anyway' continued Cranneg 'I am sure there might be some trouble along the way, the usual like bandits and probably some nasty beasties so I hope you brought some _Thrunds_ with you'.

'Oh I brought more than just a few guns' grinned the Engineer.

'That is what I liked about Thori' said the Runesmith with a slight smile of nostalgia 'he was always ready for anything…'

* * *

Finishing the last of her drink, Sereda felt pleasantly warm inside as the beer which Vanyra had called Gilded Tongue, went down quite smoothly, it was probably one of the best drinks she ever had. The feeling of it partially assuaged her mood for the Princess had just heard quite a bit from her Second. Bhelen had already begun preparing for his eventual campaign to succeed their father and Lord Harrowmont was gathering allies to oppose her brother.

More dwarven blood would be shed, there was no doubt about it and there would be nothing which the Princess could really do for she would no longer have any legal claim to the Throne. What was especially distressing to hear was the state of her father's health for Gorim said that before leaving, he had met with the King. For all of Sereda's life, she had seen her father as a strong and proud dwarf, an individual who embodied everything which all members of the Noble Caste should strive to emulate, yet when Gorim had last seen the King, he had become a broken shell of he had once been.

Sereda remembered that last look of grief, anguish and dismay when he had seen Trian's corpse and how it had been magnified when he had asked if she had really slain her brother. When they had walked back to Orzammar from the Aeducan Thaig, she recalled the way his stride had changed. It should not be any surprise really that anyone would fall into such a deep depression but the fact that it was her father, made it all the harder to believe in.

Gorim had mentioned that King Endrin had left with him the Shield of Aeducan, as a reminder of his loyal service to their House, a Targe that was now carried upon the back of her Second. Gorim then set down his stein upon the white blanket of snow which they sat on and he got up to his feet before taking the shield off of his back. This drew the attentions of Vanyra, the other dwarf who introduced himself as Cranneg and some human who was just minding his own business on the other side of the fire. Gorim then presented the ancient shield which proudly displayed the insignia of House Aeducan upon its surface and the Princess could not help but feel a measure of reverence at the mere sight of it.

'You keep it' Sereda then said as she placed her gauntleted right hand fingers upon the Aeducan emblem 'you always were the better one with a shield'. Gorim nodded and he kept the shield for now.

The dark blue sky above had slowly become brighter as time passed and now an even greater light began to rise from the sky. For the first time in the life of Sereda Aeducan, she saw the great fire in the sky which the surface dwellers called the sun. The sight of it was both glorious and somewhat intimidating to the Princess who quickly averted her gaze from its radiance.

'Amazing, isn't it my lady?' said Gorim with equal awe. 'When I first saw the sun and the open sky, I just stood there, unable to take my eyes away from it.'

The Princess remained silent as she sat there, immobilized and for the first time in her life, she watched a first sunrise. For as long as Sereda would live, she would remember that sight as vividly as if it were capture on one of the great stone murals created by the Artisan Caste. Yet, there was nothing back home which could probably compare to what she now saw.

* * *

When the dawn came, the merchants and their hired guards all ate a hearty breakfast of bread and a hot stew to banish the chill and were soon on their way through Gherlen's Pass. The caravan had no qualms with their newest additions for the two dwarves who had joined them brought their own supplies and were not expecting payment. It did not take them long to find the Imperial Highway and when they did, their journey became much quicker as the cold mountains eventually gave way to temperate, green grasslands and forests.

Along the way, Vanyra learned what the Runesmith had been up to in the last few decades for the last time she had seen him was long before Thori had taken the Slayer's Oath. It was sad to hear that the band of adventurers which her brother had been part of had eventually disbanded for each member of their company eventually had to return to their own duties to clan and hold. At the least, Cranneg still continued his work in reclaiming lost runic artifacts and had found new allies to assist him in his quest.

In return, the Engineer had told the _Rhunki_ of her recent travels across the Old World. Her travels across the Empire, the hunt into the misty fens of the Wasteland, the journey through the Grey Mountains along with a band of the wandering Strigany and her time in Bretonnia. The Runesmith had been especially interested about the group which she had travelled with and was surprised to learn that she had travelled and met with many an interesting individual which also included a certain Daemon Slayer from Norsca to many knights, wizards, priests, thieves, assassins, soldiers and mercenaries from the various human realms.

Vanyra had also told Cranneg of some of the more outlandish people she had met and travelled with such as a sharp shooting Halfling bounty hunter, a strange human woman who wielded a mighty hammer which even the daemons of Chaos feared and a blood-crazed Elven berserker with a burning axe whose rage matched even the most unhinged of Slayers. "You meet all sorts of people" the Runesmith had said with a shrug for he himself had also encountered all manner of unusual folk while travelling around the Old World and even the New. The Runesmith had even recounted a story about how he, Thori and their old group had once been part of an unusual quest where they joined the infamous Slayer, Long Drong and his band of Slayer Pirates against _elgi_ corsairs and were later assisted by of all things, a vampire pirate who also had a love for blackpowder weaponry.

Sereda and Gorim on the other hand had no definite plans for the future and any idea on trying to get back to Orzammar was quickly quashed for if they did, then they would likely become prime targets for Bhelen and whichever Houses supported him and there would be a lot for half of the Assembly were in support of the now "sole heir" to the Throne. It was a difficult choice for the Princess but she soon decided that it might be best that they stick to the surface for unfortunately there was another, more pressing matter thing to worry about. From the merchants they travelled with, the two had learned that the King of Ferelden had called for a muster of military forces to the south in a place called the Kocari Wilds where many Darkspawn had been sighted.

Talk of a Blight had been spreading among the surface dwellers but most seemed to think that such a thing could not even be possible for according to them, so many of the monsters had been killed in the last one that they believed the things were now almost extinct. This belief drew a bitter laugh from the Princess for although they had successfully just killed many of the things down in the Deep Roads, such losses would be meaningless to the Darkspawn without burning down the places where the Brood Mothers laired. At the moment, the Princess and her Second were undecided on whether they should help the surfacers or get as far away from the south as possible.

* * *

Tapster's Tavern was full this evening as patrons from across the city of Orzammar had come in to spend their coin. Nobles, Warriors, Smiths, Artisans and Merchants both from the city and the surface were all there to enjoy the drinks or engage in their own, sometime illicit business. Some such as Ragnan Aeducan, had sat by one booth while nursing a mug of Valenta's Red which was now half full.

Dressed in massive armor that was appropriately decorated for one of his Caste, the Dwarven Noble kept one hand close to a sheathed runic dagger of Silverite. It had been two days since he had set out from the gates of Orzammar to relieve the Legion forces that were supposed to be under siege from the Darkspawnn. The safety of the stronghold was important for the city, due in no small part to the rich deposits of Lyrium which it guarded but that was not why he was here.

Boot steps and the clattering of plate armor was heard from nearby and the Dwarf Noble looked to see if it was the one he waited for. Another dwarf in richly ornate massive armor walked toward him and Ragnan gave a polite nod which the dwarf returned before taking a seat.

'Can I get you anything?' asked Ragnan who could easily call to one of the Servant Caste staff of the Tavern.

'That will not be necessary' replied the muffled but familiar voice of the Noble Lord's cousin and now heir to the Throne, Prince Bhelen Aeducan. 'I take it that this is not just a social call, is it cousin?'

'No it is not' nodded Ragnan. 'You know that I have always liked you, more than your late brother, may the Stone have accepted his soul, and definetly far more than that vile murderess of a sister of yours.'

'Your confidence in me is most inspiring cousin' replied the Crown Prince in a politely neutral tone.

'And I hope that when the time comes for you to succeed your father' added Ragnan 'you will remember those who have been so loyal to you.'

'I always pay my dues' nodded the Prince with patience while head was still concealed by his helmet.

'Ah but I am sure that you are busy' Ragnan then said 'with preparing for your campaign and all so I shall get to the point.' Speaking in a more hushed tone, the Noble then spoke 'I have it on good account from trustworthy Warrior Caste Scouts in service to our House, eye witness reports that your sister is still alive and has made it to the surface.'

From behind the visor of the helmet, Ragnan saw the way which the Prince's eyes widened in shock at the news and was quick to recover from it.

'As long as my dear sister stays up there, then we having little worry about' said the Prince with confidence.

'And if she decides to come back and try to take usurp your place?' asked Ragnan.

'The Shaperate had seen to it that she already no longer exists in the Memories and besides, if she is on the surface now then she would be considered Casteless' replied the Prince.

'I trust that you will have some sort of… contingency in place, if ever she decides to return to Orzammar?' the Noble lord then asked.

'One game at a time' quietly replied the Prince in a confident tone 'I will be sure to come up with something, but until then, I have a grieving father who I must attend to.'

* * *

Giving a loud grunt as he lifted up a small wooden crate filled with metal ingots, Lukas placed the container onto the back of wagon which was soon taken by a burly dwarf who was in charge of organizing the inventory. One of the wagons had broken a wheel along the Imperial Highway and the cargo it carried was being transferred in to another vehicle in case they could not fix it. For years now, he had been doing odd jobs here and there around Ferelden and up to the borders with Orlais, mostly it involved manual labor which did not have that greatest of income but all that had changed in recent times.

He had begun to do a bit of a sideline business as a smuggler, specifically with caravans bound in and out of Orzammar. Primarily, he smuggled Lyrium which was heavily controlled by the Chantry and the Circle of Magi but there were others who found use for stuff and they paid quite well. Lukas had for example in his possession, a number of fist sized glowing nuggets which were carefully hidden among his personal affects.

Being a Lyrium smuggler had its own dangers of course, what with the Chantry having a legal monopoly on it and all but it paled in comparison to some other things about him. No one in the caravan knew it, but Lukas was an Apostate, a mage outside of the Circle. His magical abilities had surfaced far later in life compared to most and when he had received training in trying to control his powers, he found that he could barely even cast a spell without passing out from the intense, mental strain.

He had been forced to flee from the Circle in Orlais after hearing a rumor that he was being considered for Tranquility and ever since then, he had just been trying to get by. He always had to stay on the move because the Templars still had his phylactery and there had been some close calls over the years. He was not a violent man and he definitely was no fighter or battle-mage so his only option was to flee from the Templars and stay low.

After finally delivering the last crate to the wagon, he gave a tired sigh and took a drink from a filled waterskin. He looked to the broken vehicle which was partially lifted by the dwarf wearing the fearsome metal mask and the dwarf woman who wore the grey cloak had carried a metallic kit to the wagon and had taken out a number of tools to fix it. The two of them had been making themselves useful at least, assisting with the guards on keeping a look out for trouble, chopping up logs for firewood, and even going out to hunt for game in the case of the latter.

All in all, things looked fairly smooth and he hoped that the rest of this trip would carry on smoothly.

* * *

From a distance, Stahlek watched the approaching caravan which had halted upon the highway and by the look of it, one of the wagons had broken down. For about a week now, he and his gang had been shadowing group of wagons which was probably carrying all sorts of expensive goods. Normally they wouldn't bother to hit big ones like this, especially when there were many guards protecting it but this time though, they had a little something to even things out.

Creating a series of squawking sounds in imitation of birds, he was answered by another series of similar noises. From a ramp nearby, a dozen other men and women dressed in leathers and carrying a variety of weapons ascended to the highway. Standing out among them was their boss, Humongous Gus who was a large, muscular man equipped with a suit of studded leather armor, the outlaw boss had a really ugly, burned face which was concealed behind an Executioner's Helmet and the last was an Apostate mage who had recently joined them.

The Apostate was a sorceress from Orlais everyone just called "La Madame" who claimed to be of noble birth. She was a gorgeous woman who certainly had some blue blood features and the fancy mannerisms of one but there was something about her which set Stahlek on edge. He could not quite say why though, but it was just a gut feeling he often had when he was near the mage.

'You know the routine everyone' bellowed Humongous Gus who pulled up his heavy battle axe

The gang of bandits obeyed their leader as they drew towards the caravan and some of them gave nervous looks to The Duchess who had that maliciously eager grin on her face. Grabbing his shortbow and drawing an arrow from the quiver on his back, Stahlek and about six others of their group advanced with ranged weapons at the ready.

* * *

Placing a whetstone upon the edge of one of her axes, Sereda ran it down the blade and she heard the scraping sound it made as sparks flew. Normally, the act of sharpening a weapon would be performed by members of the Smith or Servant Caste but now that she was all the way out here on the surface with only Gorim and her other companions, it had become necessary for Sereda to learn how to do things herself. It had been an odd experience for the Princess, having to learn how to clean and maintain her own gear, fetching her own food and drink as well as various other mundane activities.

Sereda currently sat on the back of a merchant wagon with legs dangling from the ledge while Gorim was nearby and polishing the Aeducan Shield. Both were currently equipped with suits of armor which they had brought from the Frostback and in the case of Gorim, he wore a full set of steel plate and mail which bore the seal of Smith House Tollar. There was a companionable silence between them as they went about the simple routine.

'We should check on the crossbows later' gently said Sereda and her Second gave a quiet nod before setting aside the heirloom shield and he picked up a nearby crossbow which was rather well decorated and embellished with designs which the merchants claimed was Antivan in origin.

After finishing up with sharpening one axe, Sereda set it aside and as she was about to repeat the process with the other, one of the guards suddenly shouted 'bandits!'

'Well this was eventually bound to happen' grunt the Princess as she grabbed both of her axes.

'At your side my lady' replied Gorim ever dutifully, even in exile.

Grabbing her helmet and placing it over her head, the Princess saw Gorim do the same with an open-face one which matched the armor he wore. The two quickly hopped off of the wagon and they heard a cry of pain from the front of the caravan and they sprinted as quickly as they could while carrying their crossbows. Up ahead, they could see that the hired guards were now having a standoff with the brigands who in turn now had readied bows and crossbows aimed at the caravan.

'Just walk away!' loudly spoke a large helmeted brigand who was better armored compared to the others and was resting a battleaxe over his shoulder. 'Give us your coin, the cargo and half of your food, and we'll spare your lives! Just walk away and we'll give you safe passage in the Highway.'

Among the brigands, there was a green robed human woman who carried a staff which was blazing with fire at the top and both the Princess and her Second quickly realized that this particular outlaw was a mage. 'Aim for the magician' whispered Sereda to Gorim who gave a slight nod but they did not raise their crossbows for since the brigands already brought up their ranged weapons, they did not want to risk making any sudden movements.

A loud thud was then heard from behind them as the wagon which had been broken was set down by Cranneg while Vanyra had already pulled herself out and gotten up. The two of them quickly joined the ongoing standoff with the former now carrying his anvil headed staff while the latter had drawn one of the two smaller blackpowder weapons called pistols. Brief nods of acknowledgment were exchanged between the dwarves who now joined the standoff with their own weapons readied.

From what the Princess had learned of this other _Dawi_, Cranneg Kargunson, he was Warrior, Smith and Noble all at once with five centuries of experience in retrieving lost artifact from dwarf ruins that had been lost to the many enemies of Karaz Ankor. Sereda had thought that the two of them were joking about how the Runesmith was more than five hundred years old but after awkwardly asking if they were, she found out that they were being serious. Much to Sereda's disbelief, the Engineer had even said that that she herself was sixty-three, and age which was considered fairly young by the counting of the Karaz Ankor dwarves.

The head of the merchant caravan, Dulan Vegris was now talking to and trying to negotiate with the lead brigand and by the looks of it, they would have a fight on their hands. Glancing towards the armed guards and trying to determine how quickly they would respond once the shooting starts. They outnumbered the bandits for sure but the presence of the brigand mage could quickly change things for in the many wars between the Dwarves and the Darkspawn, the Emissaries had proven to be more than capable of turning the tides of battle such as using healing magic, raising undead warrior and even causing cave-ins which could wipe out entire battalions.

'Give these scum nothing!' interjected Cranneg with impatience as he spoke in perfect Common and the eyes of all were now upon him. 'Look manlings!' announced the ancient dwarf in a dismissive tone 'why don't you all bugger off and we can all walk just away!'

'And who are you to speak for these traders?' questioned the bandit leader with arms crossed and keeping up with an assertive posture.

'A dwarf with no patience for common cutthroats' was the Runesmith's response 'now get you gone and we can all forget this ever happened.'

The sound of amused laughter rippled from bandits when they heard Cranneg's defiance and the human sorceress stepped forward with the blaze upon her staff intensifying. Even from the distance, Sereda could see that all too eager look on the mage's face as she leveled her staff towards them.

'You may want to reconsider, _monsieur_ dwarf' said the sorceress with a thick, sultry, Orlesian accent. The witch gave a glance to the helmeted outlaw who nodded to her and she looked back to the Runesmith with an amused look, as if he were a child who said something funny.

'I am gravely disappointed' said the bandit leader who then held his axe in both hands and added 'I was hoping to reach an honorable compromise'.

* * *

A contemptuous huff was made by Cranneg Kargunson as he stared down the manling witch with the burning staff and he spat upon the stone masonry. A duel this had now become and everyone who was not involved was wisely stepping back to avoid getting caught in the inevitable exchange. Tapping the bottom of his staff upon the stone causeway, the runes along the length of it began to glow with arcane light.

In the short time that he had been in this land which the dwarfs of Orzammar had called Thedas, the Master Runesmith had quickly learned that the Winds of Magic had no presence here. Without it, he was unable to craft new runes of power but thankfully, he could still call upon the enchantments which lay within the ones which he still carried and it would be all he needed to put this impudent mageling in place. Drawing forth his Gromril hammer, _Baraz Uzkul_, Death Promise, Cranneg noted the way which the three runes that had been placed along the handle had begun to glow and one in particular blazed the brightest.

For years, the _Rhunki_ had studied a number of the infamous works of Alaric the Mad whose greatest claims to fame were the twelve Runefangs gifted to the Empire, his Master Rune which laughed at any form of body armour and the most terrible of all, the Nemesis Crown of dark legends. Through his research, Cranneg had successfully been able to recreate the style of not placing permanent runes directly upon an object but rather, had made such items capable of having its runestones inserted and removed to change its powers when the situation requires it. This resulted in certain limitations of course to what Runes it could wield but such was the price for versatility and it had proven to be very useful over the course of his travels.

Inserted upon the handle of _Baraz Uzkul_ were three Permanent Runestones which would not fade away once its power was used but would need time to rest and recuperate after heavy use. One Runestone was the armour piercing variant of the Rune of Cleaving then there was the mighty, Master Rune of Flight which would allow him to hurl Death Promise at a foe and fly back into his hand. The last Runestone, the one which now glowed the brightest and the one which caused him no small amount of apprehension was the Rune of Daemon Slaying.

Cranneg looked to the sorceress who faced him with a hint of surprise for the power of the runes had never once failed him. What a surprise he bitterly thought, a human mageling possessed by some foul daemonic entity. Whether the witch or the thing within had in turn, sensed the daemon-killing abilities of _Baraz Uzkul_ was unknown to him but the Runesmith decided to be on the safe side and assume that his foe knew about it.

Words of arcane power escaped from the witch's lips and an aura of searing flame began to surround her. In response, Cranneg rolled his shoulder within their sockets and he began whisper words of power which activated the other runes on his equipment. The Runesmith's staff began to blaze with its own arcane flames which and an aura of protective light began to surround him.

The witch swiftly raised one hand to him and a ball of flame leapt from her palm towards the Runesmith who raised his hammer and prepared to throw it. The searing ball of flame crashed into the dwarf who wore two magic rings, one of which had inscribed into it, the Rune of the Furnace. Before the flames abated, Cranneg hurled his hammer towards the sorceress and was rewarded with a loud, inhuman roar of agony.

_Baraz Uzkul _had struck the sorceress in the chest, knocking her off of her feet and the hammer flew back towards the Runesmith waiting right hand. When the human landed on the ground, his suspicions were immediately confirmed for the witch began to wildly flail about and writhe in pain. Her flesh began to alter and reshape itself; skin melted like wax to briefly reveal a shifting mass of meat beneath before solidifying and weaving into her garments and sound of bones snapping was heard by all.

To both the people in the caravan and the brigands, there was a unified series of horrified gasps and more than a few began praying to whatever gods they worshipped. To the Runesmith who had faced the Forces of Chaos on countless occasions over the six and a half centuries which he had lived, the foul sight of such change was something he had grown accustomed to. The witch's flailing eventually ceased and she slowly managed to got back up to her feet with assistance from her staff which began to burn not with bright orange flames but with one that was a dark shade of pink and Cranneg could see the cold, unholy rage within the eyes of the possessed human.

'It has been a long time since I have felt such pain' spoke the now mutated sorceress in a smooth, silken voice that was somewhat feminine in its tone and it was quiet darkly, pleasing to hear. 'And your weapon bear magic unknown to one such as I.'

'Well come on then, daemon' growled the Runesmith with hate 'come and have another taste for _Baraz Uzkul,_ come and have a taste of what a _Dawi_ can do'.

'I am afraid that I must decline such a generous offer, dwarf' hissed the daemon-thing whose left hand which was now a grotesque mass of meat which ended in claws began to glow with a blood red light 'and know that I, Xiara, have my eye upon you, little mortal and next time, I will be ready'. The red light which glowed from Xiara's left hand burst into tendrils which instantly wrapped around the bodies of the bandits who began to wail in agony as blood seeped from their eyes, mouths, ears and noses.

'Shoot them!' roared the Runesmith in a commanding tone towards those behind him.

He had no idea what the daemon was doing but he was not willing to wait and find out. A staccato of gunshots immediately rang out from behind Cranneg as Vanyra fired her pistols at the brigands and those guards equipped with either bows and crossbows fired a volley of arrows and bolts soon afterwards. The outlaws did not immediately fall to the barrage, even when they had been struck in vital areas and they began to madly sprint towards them while screaming like wild animals.

'Oh _bugrit_' muttered the Runesmith as he lifted his staff to face the maddened humans and the flames around the anvil head intensified. Three Runes of Fire had been placed upon the staff, the first simply would have allowed him to burn any enemy he struck with it, the second Rune of Fire allowed him to let loose a gout of flame like the breath of a dragon and the third Rune of Fire intensified the power of the blazing fire breath. A searing conflagration leapt from the top of the staff and it engulfed the charging brigands whose bodies were instantly reduced to cinders.

When the fires cleared, Cranneg saw no sign of the witch and he glanced to the Rune of Daemon Slaying on _Baraz Uzkul_ which no longer sensed the presence of this fiend, Xiara. Well this is just bloody wonderful, sarcastically thought the Runesmith. Have a random run-in with some outlaws and now he had daemon who would love nothing more than to eat his soul and extend that vengeance to those of his line.

Just, bloody wonderful…

* * *

'Maker's Breath… was that a Daemon?' breathed the horrified voice of a human merchant for a tense silence had descended upon the caravan.

'Daemon, yes' replied Vanyra who did her best to speak in the Common Tongue which she was still trying to learn.

A wave of superstitious dread began to spread among the humans and even the other dwarves had begun to make gestures which the Engineer guessed was religious in nature. There had been occasions on her previous adventures where Vanyra and those she travelled with had encountered the daemonic servants of the Dark Gods. She had learned that, barring access from ensorcelled or blessed weapons, bullets, bombs, cannons, fire throwers or well placed arrows and bolts were just as effective in slaying the daemonic.

Holstering her two Repeater Pistols and mentally cursing about how she really should start conserving what shot and powder she still had left, the Engineer had also noticed the curious looks which the others were giving her. Hoping that none of them would try to force her in betraying Guild knowledge, she then moved towards the Runesmith whose arcane aura now began to fade.

'You all right over there?' asked the Engineer in Reikspiel towards Cranneg.

'Don't worry about me child' replied the Runesmith in a rather stoic tone 'that daemon was just as craven as Skaven.'

'But the daemon fled' pointed out the Engineer with some worry 'it is still out there with a host'.

'Don't worry about it lass' the Runesmith then said 'when that thing comes back, I have a Rune that will tell us when it is around.'

'The fact that you said "when" is not very reassuring' replied Vanyra.

'Could be worse' shrugged Cranneg 'it's not like we are being chased by _Zangunaz_ or _Thagorraki_ with a grudge against us, right?'

* * *

After the incident with the brigands, the merchants and guards of the caravan had been deeply shaken by the unnatural sight of the demon which had the Apostate. Yet none were more rattled than Lukas who knew a enough about the malevolent entities within the Fade. In his time on the run, he has seen the dark and terrible powers which the Maleficar wielded and the last time he had a run in with Blood Mages, he himself had almost been sacrificed in one of their rituals.

Throughout the standoff, he had hidden behind one of the wagons and was just about ready to jump off the side of the highway if the bandits had managed to kill off the guards. It was a good thing that one dwarf with the burning staff had sorted them out. Lukas had heard stories about the dwarves being able to make powerful magic weapons using Lyrium runes so far he had seen things like fire swords or frozen axes.

He ought to get himself a staff like that he thought before going out of his hiding spot and checking to see who was all right. By the look of things, they only had one injury, an unlucky guard who had taken a crossbow bolt in the thigh above the knee and was now being treated with some spare healing poultices.

'Come on everyone, let's get these wagons moving! Called their boss, Dulan, who also seemed have been somewhat rattled by their encounter.

As the caravan prepared to get moving again, Lukas suddenly halted as he heard something like a whisper at the edge of hearing. A soft, silken and feminine voice began to call to him, offering countless promises to the runaway mage who knew well enough what the price of accepting would be. He did his best to ignore the whisper but it just wouldn't go away.

It might also be a good idea if he avoided sleep tonight… maybe even in the next few days if possible.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

A sharp cry of pure agony echoed across the dark, stone corridors which sent a rush of excitement down the spine of Roland who many people titled The Cold. For days now, he had been hosting a... "guest" in the dungeon of his father's estate. It was not every day that he got the chance to entertain someone of noble birth.

Roland was a lean young man with dry shoulder-lengthed black hair, pale skin which easily became pink and eyes which some folk claimed was icy in appearance. It was quite fitting he thought for it helped add to his title which he fancied was mainly earned by his preference of wielding two daggers which had been enchanted with ice magic. Some also said that he was named such for he was a cold, cruel and heartless man who was feared both on the battlefield and off of it.

In places like the Bannorn where the fighting among the various Banns was a simple fact of life such a reputation was far more valuable compared to having love and respect. Fear made sure that one's enemies would think twice before starting a fight, it helped make sure that those who followed you would choose to stay on your good side, otherwise they or their families might be made "examples" of. But what good was fear when one did not have the strength to show for it? Well that was what he and his friends were around for.

Another, sweet scream echoed through the dungeon, causing a slight smile to spread across his lips as he made his way to their newest guest's cell. There were other guests of course, mostly captured enemies from the armies of other banns but there were also a few elves, peasants, travelers and other folk who some might say had simply been at the wrong place and wrong time but ultimately, no one of any importance. When he arrived at the door of the cell, Roland adjusted his fines, crimson clothes which had been imported from all the way in Orlais.

He always did want to go there to the Orlesian Empire, to join what they called, The Grand Game. It was thrilling to think that out there, Noble Houses engaged in lovely games where deception, blackmail, seduction, lies and murder were the order of the day. He imagined that if he were there, he would do fairly well in the Game, ah but such were his idle fancies.

The Bannorn and Ferelden anyway had many of its own charms for a man like Roland who enjoyed getting his hands dirty. Take for example the so called "Blight" that was gathering far to the south. King Cailan had called for a muster of the nation's army and now there were thousands of soldiers from all across the kingdom which were headed there.

This meant that many banns and arls were left with only a much smaller, token force to defend themselves with, which also meant plenty of opportunities for ambitious men like his father who had gone south to join the muster. Roland though had been left in charge of a very special mission to assist one of his father's closest allies in the country. One of these allies in particular had strong connections with a very powerful and very influential figure in the King's Court.

When he arrived at the front of the cell, he was saluted by a guard wearing a suit of heavy chainmail and on the back of the man was spiked steel mace which clearly had just seen some use. The guardsman dutifully opened the iron doors which led into chamber behind him and Roland was able to get a good look at his latest guest. Roland's guest hung from chains which were attached to shackles that now bound the wrists of the wretched individual, it always amused him that despite the term "blue-blood" nobles bled just as red as any man.

The guest had once been a strong and proud knight with the chiseled features which many women likely found attractive and hair the color of copper bronze. The knight, who had been stripped of all clothing and left practically naked, had his chest reduced to a red ruin with the flesh carefully peeled off to expose glistening musculature which dripped with blood. His limbs had been shattered in multiple places with pieces of broken bone now sticking out of the deeply bruised flesh which still remained there.

The knight's head hung downwards and for a moment, Roland feared that his guest was dead. Not everyone had the constitution to accept his famous hospitality and the few who did were those he most cherished for often he would give them a chance to personally serve him, after a lengthy stay of course. Stepping forward to check on his guest's pulse, he made his to step as loudly as he could and was delighted to hear a groan from his guest.

'I am almost thought you died on me' said Roland with a smile as his slightly high pitched, nasally voice was filled with elation. His guest croaked and rasped something to him which Roland could hardly hear and he spoke 'I am sorry, but I did not quite get that'. He then placed one ear close to the knight who also had several teeth pulled out during his stay.

'I… I will never tell… you…anything...' defiantly said the knight who spoke the words between ragged breaths.

'Oh you won't need to tell us anymore my friend' smiled Roland which drew the attention of his guest, one Ser Gilmore of Highever. 'I actually here came to tell you that we will no longer be needing your services anymore, but cheer up! We will make sure that proper accommodations will be set aside for Ser Cousland, courtesy of our dear, mutual friend, Arl Rendon Howe.'


	7. Rik

A mountain of corpses surrounded the Warrior whose scarred flesh was now further coated in unclean blood. The red skinned fiends who had dared to face him now lay in grisly heaps as bodies were cut apart and barely any of the things remained in one piece. Once in a time long ago, the Warrior would have been amused by the sight of so many vanquished foes but now, it was merely just a tiresome chore which was necessary to accomplish.

Laughter echoed nearby as a new host of foes who were heralded by an intoxicating mist, arrived to face him once more. Lithe creatures that were both comely and repulsive, danced towards him as a cacophony of infernal music assailed his ears. Hefting his bloody axe which was encrusted with the blood of countless numbers of their kind, the Warrior went back to the slaughter that would never end.

* * *

**ACT III: EHRENSCHULDEN**

* * *

Slamming a dull metal tankard upon a wooden table, Aedan Cousland gave a loud exhale as a warm sensation spread across his throat and belly.

'Another!' called the Nobleman to the nearest barmaid and he did not even bother to see if she acknowledged him or not. His forehead rested upon the palm of his left hand which was covered by fingerless, studded leather glove while the other held onto the tankard. The Nobleman's table was located on the corner of a inn called the Knight's Respite.

Where once his appearance had been neatly groomed, the journey which he had found himself suddenly embarking upon had left him haggard and disheveled like some common thug. His shoulder-length, dark brown hair was left as unkempt as his beard which he had not bothered to shave in weeks and the fine studded leather armor which protected his well built frame was caked with dried mud and blood. Upon his back was a grey iron longsword and shield which were perhaps the only things clean about his appearance and lying close by was a steel heavy maul which rested by the wall behind him in arm's reach.

What a miserable sight he must look right about now as he brooded upon recent events which had abruptly changed his life. The ancestral home of his family, Highever, had been taken away by that treacherous bastard, Arl Rendon Howe of Amaranthine. Merely thinking of that traitor was enough to cause his blood to boil and Aedan longed for the day when he would meet Howe and gut the old man before beating him to death with a mace or a maul.

'I said another!' demanded Aedan in a more irritated tone as the barmaid who had heard him began rushing towards him while carrying a pitcher. The peasant girl began to hurriedly refill the Noble's tankard and he did not care if she spilled a bit for he needed the drink. When the barmaid finished refilling, he just grabbed the tankard and took a big gulp of the watered down ale without giving thanks.

The barmaid quickly then went off with an aggravated looked on her face and he hardly cared for the foul looks which some of the locals were giving him. Let the peasants look all they want he thought for he doubted that any of them would lift a finger against him for he still was of noble birth. Slamming the mug down upon the table again feeling the drink go down his throat, he tried his best to forget what else had happened at Highever but he just could not.

Within his mind, he clearly remembered the dead eyes of his nephew, Oren and his sister in law, Oriana. They had died in their room, just across his own while his mother's friend Lady Landra, her handmaid Iona and son, Dairren had suffered a similar fate. In his mind's eye, he saw the faces of everyone who he was supposed to protect and had failed but the deaths which weighed the heaviest upon his soul were those of his father, mother and his dog, Conobar.

Guilt over what had happened that night, his inability to save everyone, had simply been too much for the young lord to handle and it had driven him into really hitting the bottle. Their faces haunted him in his sleep accusing him over not doing enough to save them and no amount of drink could make him forget. He then remembered why he had survived and why he still remained on the road, going south to the Korcari Wilds for the only family he now had left, his brother Fergus, had gone there to join the king's muster against the Darkspawn.

He heard a series of footsteps which was mixed with the moving in his direction and he looked up to see who it was. A group of eight men in uniformed scale armor and open-faced helmets approached him and despite his somewhat, blurred sight, he quickly noted how they kept their hands close to their weapons. Each carried a sword and shield but he also noticed how they carried maces which they seemed quite ready to use.

'Now that ain't a nice way to treat a girl just doing her job' said one of the men who had a series of deep black tattoos over his scarred face. 'Outright rude if you ask me, considering that you look like some blue blood fop.'

'Sod off peasant' growled Aedan who honestly had enough of dealing with the militias, soldiers and hired mercenaries of lesser Banns who shake down travelers with ridiculous and definitely unlawful taxes which they set up. The armed men placed their hands upon the grips of their maces and in turn, Aedan readied himself for a fight.

'Ain't you a rude one' the lead man then said with arms crossed. 'We don't like having some outsiders just coming in here thinking they can boss us free Bannorn folk around.' Words of agreement were quietly spoken by some of the patrons and Aedan grimly knew that when the fighting started he would not have any help from that quarter.

'What do you want?' asked the Nobleman who remained far from intimidated

'We got word of some suspicious folk traveling around these parts, a man and dwarf' the leader then said. 'You seem to fit the description I reckon and by order of the Bann, we need to question you.'

'Is that right? Which Bann?' coldly replied Aedan for he could think of more than a few people who might be after him.

'We're the ones asking questions here, milord!' was the hostile response of the lead man. 'Now either come with use all peaceful like and no one has got to get hurt, otherwise, we will take you in for resisting arrest.'

The conversation of those around them immediately died down and some of the patrons began to get away for it was clear that a fight was about to break out. Taking one last drink of his ale and draining every bit of it, Aidan let out a satisfied belch and gave his reply. 'Why don't you all go shove swords up your asses.'

'Can't say we didn't try' the leader of the armed men then said and Aedan saw them begin to draw their maces while several more began to enter the inn from the front door.

Quickly letting go of his tankard and bringing his left hand up under the bottom of the wooden table, Aedan flipped the piece of furniture up and he delivered a swift kick which sent it towards the armed men who quickly backed away. The Nobleman quickly reached for the hammer behind him and with a single sweeping flourish, he held the heavy weapon in both hands. Despite the alcohol induced haze which clouded his vision, Aedan felt eager to work out some stress.

'Who wants to die first!' roared Aedan who rushed towards the one who spoke to him with maul raised high in an overhead swing. The leader hissed a curse as he quickly drew his mace and tried to get the shield that was on his back but before he could un-sling it, the heavy head of the maul slammed into the speaker's helmeted head and causing a loud, sickening crack as his skull was split and his brain reduced to jelly.

'Bastard!' roared another of the armed men who now all had maces and shields brought out.

Not giving them a chance to group up, Aedan rushed the nearest of the men while giving a wordless roar and swinging his hammer at one of them with a sideway arc from right to left. His leaned back, barely in time to avoid being struck as another brought a mace which hit the Nobleman on his right hip. His drunken haze and the adrenaline which coursed through his veins, blotted out the pain as bone cracked beneath the weight of the mace strike, and he delivered a backhanded strike which smashed his attacker's face in and sent the unfortunate bastard crashing into a wooden table.

Disregarding all thoughts of finesse and skill, Aedan just focused on sheer, brutal aggression. Everything became a blur of movement as he swung his maul about while trying to hit someone and in turn, took several mace strikes across his body which was only protected by his studded armor. The Nobleman then managed to slam his hammer into the chest of an attacker before delivering a jab which knocked out the teeth of another, then came the dull impact as a mace slammed into the back of his knee.

The next thing he knew, Aedan Cousland was falling to the straw matted, stone floor which his face violently crashed into with a loud thud. Stars exploded across his vision as soon as he hit the floorboard and his vision momentarily blacked out which was quickly followed by booted feet stomping onto his back.

'Hold him down!' demanded one of the attackers in a muffled tone and Aedan felt his hands being forcibly placed behind him while someone bound it with rope. The Nobleman struggled with and spat curses at these men before a fist cracked against the back of his skull and his head was knocked into the stone floorboard again and he barely felt how one gauntleted hand was keeping him down.

'We got him, now where is the dwarf!?' said another and as if on cue, there was a loud crash of splintering wood from the sleeping rooms above. Another loud crack rang out which caused the ceiling above them to shake and there was a heavy thud. 'You lot check it out' said the muffled voice again and the others reluctantly obeyed before heading up the stairs.

All eyes within the common room were turned towards the ceiling as they heard the thuds of footsteps from above. Shouting quickly followed after some of the armed men went upstairs and there was a fierce struggle as more heavy thuds were heard and the establishment itself began to tremble. An armored human body came tumbling down the staircase and everyone within the inn's common room gasped in shock for the head of the body had been caved in with the eyes left bulging, almost as if they would pop out.

'Now what's a dwarf got to do to get some sleep around here!' bellowed a deep, booming voice which was followed by heavy thuds, the clatter of plate armor and the groaning of wood.

Stepping down from the staircase was perhaps the biggest dwarf any of them had ever seen. Standing close to five feet in height and almost as wide, the dwarf wore a heavy suit of massive armor which was the color of shining grey and heavily decorated with golden icons and expensive jewelry which dazzled the eye. The dwarf wore a magnificent winged helmet which had the two avian appendages on the side fashioned to resemble that of a dragon rather than a bird and his face was protected by a stylized half mask which sported a prominent moustache-like plate below the nose which reached down to cover the chin and it was followed by a veil of ornate gilded scales which looked almost organic in appearance and they ended with a series of shining golden discs which spread out in intervals around the bottom of it.

Draped around his shoulders was a thick cloak of white fur with two fearsome dark blue clawed hands from some unknown beast, covered the pauldrons of his armor. Most resplendently of all were two mighty weapons, a hammer and axe which were also heavily decorated with gold and both were clearly imbued with elemental magic.

'Honestly manling, are you trying to make it my job to keep on saving your arse?' contemptuously spoke the dwarven warrior who called himself Haakon Valnirsson as he rested his weapons upon his shoulders and he gave a disdainful look to the humans at the inn.

Aedan managed to breathe the dwarf's name before a boot slammed into the back of his head and was immediately knocked out cold.

* * *

_Earlier on that same day…_

Sereda Aeducan and Gorim Saelac kept a watchful eye on the day's business as several local humans made transactions or browsed the wares of the merchants. Smith Caste forged tools such as hammers, chisels, kitchen knives, saws and even simple iron nails were sold to human commoners who were eager to barter with either coin, wood or various kinds of surface foodstuffs. Some of the other humans who came to buy, the ones which Sereda and Gorim especially kept an eye out for, were those openly armed with weapons and armor.

Aside from the trade of tools and equipment, there also were also several pieces of jewelry such as rings and necklaces as well as other accessories such as belts which were sold for with only coin. There were also other, stranger pieces which were being sold such as glowing magic crystals which had varying feels to them depending on their color. All in all, business seemed good today and the merchants of the caravan were clearly doing well for themselves.

'You know I never thought I would say this' said Sereda towards Gorim. 'But being exiled is honestly not as bad as I thought it would be.'

'Having you here is what makes it worthwhile my heart' replied Gorim with a smile which the Princess returned with one of her own. 'Why don't you take a break for now my lady' Gorim then said 'someone needs to keep an eye on the _Dawi_.'

'Are you sure that you will be fine over here?' asked the Princess with some concern.

'You have little need to worry about me my lady' replied her Second with a confident grin and Sereda nodded before turning around and going off to check.

In the many days since the incident at the Imperial Highway where they encountered that "demon" thing, Vanyra and Cranneg had become more withdrawn and they kept to themselves at the edge of the caravan. The Engineer for example had been burning wood until it blackened and turned into charcoal which she would mix with some foul smelling materials that she claimed was necessary for the production of blackpowder. The Runesmith on the other hand had used his own gold to buy a number of runes and even a few chunks of Lyrium which he obsessively studied over.

Of the two of them, whatever Vanyra had been making was the most disruptive and dangerous for more than once, they had heard light pows or heavy booms which sent up clouds of smoke. Passing by multiple groups of customers and those who worked with the caravan, Sereda soon made it out into the open green land of the Bannorn. She quickly spotted the tent which Vanyra had set up, underneath the eaves of a tree and the Princess took a deep breath and hoped to the Stone that another explosion did not happen.

It occurred to the Princess that with all this talk of a Blight in the south and the rather common bouts of internecine fighting within the Bannorn, she had an opportunity to make some profit. Sereda was still after all, of noble birth and it simply would not do that someone of her station should live like some sort vagabond drifter or a common peasant. She was aware that her main strengths fell within the fields of fighting, leadership, statesmanship, intrigue and persuasion but other than that, she was not skilled in anything else.

Fortunately, she knew just the right people who could help get what she needed and as a nice little side, do a bit of good for the world. Being fairly certain that indeed a Blight was happening and from what she knew of the histories of previous Blights, powerful weapons such as grenades, traps, those repeating crossbows and good old fashioned enchanted equipment could fetch a very high price for when the Darkspawn come north. The idea of such devices getting back to Orzammar had also crossed her mind and despite having been exiled, she would rather not have such be wrought within the city.

As she drew closer to the tent, the Princess picked up the foul alchemical stench of whatever components the Engineer employed in her craft. From a leather pouch which was attached to Sereda's belt and from it, she removed a scented handkerchief which she had purchased and placed it over her nose and mouth to blot out stench. The Engineer's pack beast was located not far away and it lazily grazed upon the grass while its back remained unburdened of Vanyra's equipment.

A sudden loud "pow" exploded from within the tent and smoke wafted from the opening. The Princess's eyes widened in shock and she began sprinting.

'Hey! Are you all right!' called Sereda in Orlesian with alarm.

'I am fine!' shouted Vanyra from inside with a muffled voice and after a few moments, the Engineer came out of the tent all covered in black soot dressed in a thick tunic with a leather apron. A strange mask of leather with a long, tube-like nose was worn over the Engineer's face and her eyes were concealed by a pair of dark glass lenses.

'So uh… any success with that project of yours?' questioned the Princess who kept the handkerchief over her mouth.

'Some' replied the Engineer who removed the leather mask around her face which came off with a slight puff of soot. 'I have been able to produce some blackpowder' said Vanyra as she ran a hand over her stained auburn hair 'not a lot but some'.

'Well that is good to hear I suppose' shrugged the Princess who just hoped that whatever the Engineer had made wouldn't blow up on her.

'The Crossbows are ready by the way' Vanyra then breathed while wiping a gloved hand over her brow.

'Ah excellent' commented the Princess who been able to earlier get the Engineer to agree to do some modifications to the crossbows of both her own and Gorim's. Vanyra then turned around and opened the flap of her tent where more of the acrid smelling smoke wafted out. The _Dawi_ then went back into the tent and after a few moments, she came back out with two crossbows in her arms.

'Come on, I will show you how to use these' the Engineer then said and the Princess followed her.

* * *

_That same night…_

'You better give yourself up dwarf!' roared a manling towards Thane Haakon Valnirsson of Karak Kadrin and Clan Drakebeard. 'You're just going to make it worse for yourself!'

'Give up!? Ha! Now your funny manling!' bellowed Haakon with utter mockery 'I will kill you last'. The dwarf Thane quickly took a deep breath and bellowed at the top of his lungs, '_Khazukan Kazit-Ha!_'

The runes on the Thane's weapons began to flare up with the power of their captured Winds. In his right fist, he held his _Gromril_ hammer _Dron Skaud_, Thunder Song which crackled with lightning across the head and was stylized to resemble the face of a snarling _drakk _with deep ruby eyes. Clenched in his left hand, was his twin bladed axe _Zharr Zagaz_, Fire Saga which furiously blazed with bright orange fires and was similarly designed to resemble a _drakk_ that also had deep ruby red eyes.

Haakon's boots thunderously stomped across the floor of the human inn and the manling soldiers loudly cursed in surprise. Roaring at the top of his lungs, the Thane swung Thunder Song which smashed into a human's chest and it sent the manling off of his feet and crashing into a wall while Fire Saga was buried into the gut of another which caused his target to collapse as the smell of burning pork began to fill the inn. Another human charged towards the dwarf with a mace held high and swung it down to his right shoulder.

A loud metallic clang rang out as the mace struck Haakon's pauldron and the arcane enchantments upon his _Gromril_ armour flared into life. The Thane felt only the impact but no pain from the hit due to the powerful runic equipment which he wore. With a snarl toward his attacker, Haakon delivered a right elbow strike which hits the man's groin and he gave a high pitched squeal which was immediately silenced by an axe to the neck which decapitated the human and leaving a seared neck stump.

'Is that the best you got!?' mocked the Thane towards his attackers 'I've met _Grombolgi_ tougher than you lot!'

The Thane slammed _Dron Skaud_ into the knee another human who collapsed in agony before a follow-up strike from _Zharr Zagaz_ cleaved into his face. Fighting with the fury of a Slayer, Haakon became a whirlwind of violence and flashing Gromril which masterfully parried enemy attacks and striking them with precision. Each blow from Haakon was delivered with enough strength to either outright kill or severely injure an attacker in a single blow and it did not take long before it was only the Thane who was standing.

'Perhaps you may wish to face a more worthy foe' came a new voice which had deep tone to it that was strong while at the same time, calm and smooth, betraying no emotion.

Looking over his shoulders to the front door of the establishment of which had been destroyed after a manling had been sent crashing through it, Haakon saw a massive Kurgan-sized giant wearing a very heavy suit of bright red armor and a face concealing knight's helmet which sported a tail of dyed red fur at the back. The Thane also saw the hilt and the edge of a greatsword which was coated in rime and placed on the back of this armoured stranger who was probably with these men.

'You are welcome to try' growled Haakon as he turned to face this new threat.

'Gladly' nodded the stranger who drew his greatsword which was absolutely massive, larger in fact when compared to those used by Men or Elves. 'Why don't we take this outside' said the red armoured giant 'I would rather not cause more petty vandalism.'

The Thane gave a slight grunt of agreement for it always was a shame to ruin a good drinking establishment… even if it did mostly sell some cheap manling swill. Following after the giant, Haakon welcomed the idea of a good fight.

* * *

Looking through the small iron and glass tube which had been mounted upon the crossbow, Sereda pressed the firing trigger and launched a bolt towards a distant tree with a soft click and it buried deeply into the bark. The Princess was impressed by the enhanced range and power of the weapon and she placed a new bolt which was quickly loaded into place. Like the Grey Warden crossbow which she had used back at Isanammar, the weapon she now carried also had mechanisms which made it faster and easier to reload.

'Given more time and materials, I can also make specialized bolts and even better enhancements' commented Vanyra who was still mostly covered in soot and giving the modified crossbow a calculating look

'Oh? Like what?' asked the Princess with interest for the Engineer had been studying some of the Knockdown bolts which Sereda had also taken from the Legion along with some other special bolts purchased from the merchants.

'Bolts that explode with fragments, set people on fire, burn with acid, auto-loading mechanisms and other things' replied the Engineer.

'Well those sound useful' nodded Sereda who then added 'but what of those blackpowder weapons of yours?'

'Those are much harder to produce' explained the Engineer with a slight shrug. 'It takes time to produce the blackpowder itself and I do not have the tools and materials to make many bullets.'

'A shame then because many of the humans who have been coming in to buy are all talking about the possibility of a Blight down in the south'. Sereda then said.

'That is when those Darkspawn things come up to invade the surface, right?' questioned Vanyra who had learned a bit of Thedas history from the Princess when they had been travelling through the Deep Roads.

'Yes and that means a lot of worried people who would be willing to pay quite well for something that could help give them an edge' replied the Princess who then noticed a visible change in Vanyra's body language at the mention of money.

'How willing do you think these humans might be?' asked the Engineer with unusual eagerness.

'Well I am no Merchant so appraising is not one of my skills' replied the Princess 'but I can imagine that there are Banns who would be willing to pay a lot of gold to be able to equip their archers with these and no doubt that they would also pay well for powerful grenades and traps'.

The mere mention of gold seemed to visibly agitate Vanyra who looked at the Crossbow which had belonged to Gorim and an expression of deep thought came over her and after another, quiet moment, the Engineer had an epiphany.

'Now that you mention it…' the Engineer then said with a hint of avarice in her tone 'I think I may know a few items which will not breach Guild policies and it won't be too destructive if people decided to use it on one another'.

'I will take your word for it' nodded Sereda with a slight smile while feeling satisfied with herself.

* * *

Stepping out into the muddy road outside of the inn where the smell of rainwater was growing stronger, Haakon had kept a watchful eye for any treachery from the giant and was fairly surprised to see that aside from the two of them, there were only the humans who had been earlier drinking. Some gasped at the sight of the blood spattered Thane and the Giant while others watched in anticipation for it was clear to them that a fight was about to break out. Murmurs passed among them as bets were made and they watched with great interest as the two warriors prepared to fight.

'So what are you supposed to be?' asked Thane Valnirsson as he moved into a readied stance 'some sellsword seeking to get that bounty?'

'Partially so' replied the red armored giant who also settled into a readied stance. 'I have been residing in this land for some time now, selling my services to the highest bidder but mere coin is the least of my interests.'

'Is that right?' questioned the Thane as he mentally took a measure of his opponent and after centuries of warfare against countless enemies, Haakon knew it when he encountered a disciplined fighter.

'That which I seek is battle and a worthy opponent to test my skill upon' was the giant's response. 'Words are being spread of a mighty dwarf warrior who travels with a wanted man from Highever'.

'So they say' growled Haakon with hostility for he clearly remembered the events which had led up to what had happened…

Thane Haakon Valnirsson had been part of a _drangthrong_ which had yet again gathered to defend Peak Pass, this time from the Forces of Chaos. Haakon had been where the fighting was at its thickest where he and a regiment of Ironbreakers had engaged a force of the Tainted from cursed _Zharr Nagrund_ who had brought their warrior elites, the Immortals. Gromril hammers and axes had clashed with hell-forged steel in a titanic battle as _Dawi_ fought the one enemy whose hatred they bore far outweighed any greenskin or skaven.

Wielding both _Zharr Zagazz_ and _Dron Skaud_, Haakon had reaped a terrible toll among the rabbles of Kurgan Marauders before reaching the Immortals. During the battle, the Thane had faced off against a fell Daemonsmith who employed both martial skill and foul sorcery. They had dueled in single combat and when it seemed that Haakon would prove victorious, his opponent used magic in an attempt to whisk himself away and by some strange luck the Thane had been caught in the spell as well.

After a harrowing journey through the Realm of Chaos, Haakon had later found himself in the library of Sorcerous Daemon of whom he managed to strike with _Dron Skaud_ before being hurled into the wilds of this strange realm called Thedas. When the Thane arrived, he had been left disoriented and heavily injured from his nightmarish sojourn and the previous battle. It was not long after that he had encountered the human lordlings of Highever who had been engaging on some hunt, the sort which human nobles often liked to engage in.

The lordlings and their company of guards had been responsible for healing his wounds and by his honour, had owed a debt to the Couslands. It was not long afterwards that some other humans, the ones who followed the lordling named Howe, had attacked the castle. Haakon had tried to save the family of the human House but had been too late.

Before they had left Highever, the mortally wounded manling lord, named Bryce had begged Haakon to get Aedan out of the castle and find his other son, Fergus who had left to join some muster going on in the south. Ever since then, they had been hounded by manlings serving this, Arl Howe fellow as well as mercenaries, bounty seekers and even soldiers sworn to lordlings of whom were allies of the Howes. It had been a trying time for the honour-bound Thane to escort this human south for the unexpected journey was turning out to be like something out of "My Travels with Gotrek".

And now here he was, outside an inn where they had just been attacked it seemed that it was up to Haakon to go fight what was quite literally at the moment, the biggest and most dangerous looking foe around, not that he as a Thane was complaining of course.

'Are you ready?' questioned the giant with anticipation.

'Bring it!' hissed Haakon with hostility and the two warriors gave out a loud, roaring charge and their weapons clashed with elemental fury.

* * *

A thin, featureless brown stone lay before Cranneg Kargunson who held in his right hand, a small glass bottle which contained the strange material called Lyrium which was also what the stone was made from. The Master Runesmith who had camped away from the caravan and definitely away from Vanyra and her dangerous blackpowder production, had earlier purchased these items along with a number of actual runestones which he had spent much time studying and it was now time to put his theories to the test. Carefully pouring the contents of the flask onto the Blank Runestone, he heard the slight hiss as the Etching Agent made contact with the flat surface.

Like the Winds of Magic which saturated their world, the magic of this realm, the Fade, followed some similar rules which the Runesmith could work with. Magic in itself was chaotic and dangerous to wield and even for the followers of the Ruinous Powers, order was needed to be imposed so that it could be used with even the slightest modicum of safety. Of the most simple and yet powerful ways to impose order on the chaos of magic was to create a symbol, a focus which the mortal mind could comprehend.

Symbols formed connections which tied together concepts for in the Aethyr, concepts are what made the powers that be. It was why Gods and Daemons represented aspects and ideas, why some may take the concepts honour, courage and duty while others, decay, lust and rage. It was through these rules, these uses of concepts and symbols that the Runecraft of the _Dawi_ came to be along with those untrustworthy magics wielded by other races such as the alien Lizardmen of distant Lustria and the perfidious kindreds of Elves.

And with this world it seemed, Symbols still tied concepts which when formed together, would become the focus of magic. Cranneg emptied the small container and he allowed its contents to do its work before finally, the hissing ceased and he placed both his index finger and thumb upon the upper and lower edges of the new runestone. Setting aside the now empty container and picking up the rune which he had earlier purchased, he examined both it and the new on he had made like a jeweler inspecting his craft.

Both runes displayed a symbol which represented an ancient human deity of this world named Toth whose sphere of influence lay within the element of fire. For a long moment, the Runesmith took in every slight detail of the runestone for the art of Runecrafting required the utmost of precision and patience. Finding no flaw in the shape of the runes, he nodded and decided to proceed with the next test.

Resting upon the grass behind the Runesmith was a steel waraxe forged by the smiths of Orzammar. Setting down the runestones, Cranneg took the axe in his gauntleted right hand and he held it up in front of him. The axe itself was serviceable enough he supposed, to be used among the common Warriors of Karaz Ankor but he found it to be somewhat heavier than any proper _Dawi_ forged equivalent.

He then picked up the rune he had previously purchased and he inscribed it into the center of the axe head. After a moment, the entire weapon ignited in flames from blade to handle which took the Runesmith by surprise, not only for the sudden blaze but also because it did not burn him, rather he felt only warmth as if he placed his hands close to a hearth. Carefully removing the runestone to avoid causing any damage, he then inscribed the new rune he had made and after a second, it caused the axe to ignite with a weaker flame.

Amazement and pride swelled within the heart of the Master Runesmith whose mind began to wonder of the possibilities. In the short which he had been in Orzammar, Cranneg had an extensive discussion with one of the city's own Runesmiths about the working of Runes. In exchange for some of his own knowledge in Runecraft (knowledge which we was unsure if they could do anything with due to the absence of the Winds), he had learned about the Runic Rules of this world and he was amazed that it was far less restrictive and how it was entirely dependent on the material which they called Lyrium.

The Rules of Pride and Jealousy did not exist and it was possible (but financially impractical) for entire battalions of dwarf warriors to march into battle while all carrying rune enchanted equipment inscribed by the same Smiths. The lack of the Rule of Pride in particular irked him more than a little for the willingness to repeat runes and their patterns was something reserved for Runesmith in their apprentice years but any self-respecting _Rhunki_ would quickly drop that if they wanted to advance ahead. The absence of the Rule of Jealousy was also surprising for the Master Runes of this realm which were followed by other runes of greater power, were all capable of working in unison.

Of the Runic Rules which still applied, there were those of Form and Three. The Rule of Form governed what sort of runes could be placed on items such as weapon runes for sword, axes and hammer while armour runes for… body armour but not Shields in the case of this world. The Rule of Three as the name suggested, allowed only for a maximum of three runes to be placed on a single item with an unusual variation being that depending on what material the item was mostly made from, it could hold a different number of runes.

There was still much to learn he thought for the rune he had just made was weaker than the one he had purchased. It was a good start he supposed but there was still a lot of research to be done. If he could just figure out how to make the more powerful runes, he would have something extremely worthwhile in bringing back to Karaz Ankor. A slight smile appeared upon the lips of the Runesmith who now began to think about just how much the _Dawi_ a a whole could benefit from all of this.

He would still need to improve on and master the art of it of course but like many _Rhunki_, Cranneg had learned the importance of patience for barring any mishap, he would still have plenty of centuries to perfect it.

* * *

A loud metallic shriek echoed throughout the night air as _Zharr Zagaz_ caught the frozen greatsword in its right cheek and the head _Dron Skaud_ came sailing toward the right thigh of the red giant who barely managed to dodge the dragon-headed hammer by jumping back a little. Like the Chosen of the Ruinous Power, the red giant fought with a deadly mixture of brutal strength, fearsome rage and iron-willed discipline. Despite their differences in size, none could doubt the fearsome might of both warriors.

'_Khazukan Kazit-Ha_!' roared Thane Valnirsson whose furious assault forced the red giant back and to remain on the defense.

The giant roared war cry of its in response, the words were alien and foreign to the Thane as his foe brought down the frozen greatsword in an overhead chop which Haakon managed to evade by leaping to his left.

The Thane then launched a counter-attack with _Dron Skaud_ held high, aiming at the red giant's chest and _Zharr Zagaz_ going for the left leg. The red giant then swung his frozen greatsword to the right and he slapped aside Thunder Song with the flat of the blade and attempted to use the hilt to block Fire Saga but the aggressive Rune of Striking placed upon, caused the axe to move on its own and avoid the piece of the greatsword and it successfully bit into the giant's thigh. Metal screeched as it was rent by the burning blade of _Zharr Zagaz_ and the giant let out a roar of pain and rage before delivering a swift knee kick which struck the Thane's face and his head was knocked back.

Runes of Warding placed upon his helmet blazed to life and they lessened the impact which was still enough to cause stars to explode in his vision. A gauntleted fist then crashed into his winged helmet, and knocking his dead down but the Thane quickly recovered and thrust the eye _Dron Skaud_ into the giant's gut. Like Fire Saga, Thunder Song also had inscribed onto it, a Rune of Cleaving which proved most effective when dealing with heavily armoured opponents.

The giant's armor crumpled beneath the impact of _Dron Skaud_ which also sent forth jolts of electricity which afflicted the giant who was immediately staggered. Haakon then launched another furious assault with Fire Saga and Thunder Song slashing and smashing in a rain of blows that would have felled a Chaos Forsaken but the giant managed to either parry or evade his blows with consummate skill. Sweeping both of his axe and hammer towards the giant from the sides, his opponent then held his own frozen greatsword by the blade and brought it down like a hammer which smashed into the right shoulder of Haakon, between his head and the pauldron itself, the impact itself was enough to cause bone to fracture beneath the blow.

Intense agony and a deep, unnatural chill like that of a fearsome Yhetee from the Mountains of Mourn, began to spread into the body of Haakon whose cloak was made from the pelt of said creatures pack leaders which were called Greybacks. Sheer dwarfish stubbornness and endurance kept the Thane on his feet and with all of his might, he smashed _Dron Skaud_ again into the right hip of the giant who shouted again but this time, it ended with a soft whimper. The red giant then pulled the tip of the blade out from the chest of Haakon who was just about ready to launch himself again but his foe raised a gauntleted hand to him with left palm facing the Thane.

'Enough!' breathed the Giant with a pained voice as if trying to speak through gritted teeth. 'The stories… do not do any justice' breathed the giant who stabbed his frozen greatsword into the muddy ground and was placing a lot of weight on the weapon.

'I've had lots of practice' growled Haakon who was not entirely convinced about this sudden cease in the fighting.

'Victory is yours dwarf, I submit' hissed the giant who held onto the now crumpled fauld where _Dron Skaud_ had struck.

'And how do I know that this is not some trick' replied the Thane with caution.

'You only have my word, dwarf' the giant then said while struggling to remain on his feet. 'I know when I have faced a powerful opponent and when the odds are against me'.

'If you want to live then you best get your arse out before I change my mind!' said Haakon while tightening the grip on both of his weapons.

'How about a trade, dwarf?' spoke the giant who then got back up to his feet and was able to regain his composure while Haakon remained silent but gave a slight nod for his foe to continue. 'You have many powerful enemies who seek the one you travel with and are offering quite the reward.'

'Already old news' replied Haakon Valnirsson with impatience 'get to the damn point'.

'Allow me to accompany the two of you' announced the giant 'for my sword will be of great assistance'

'Accompany us!?' bellowed the Thane with disbelief. 'Do you honestly think that I would be stupid enough to trust some sellsword who just tried to kill me!?'

'If I had been trying to kill you, dwarf' coolly replied the giant 'then only one of us would now be standing'.

'And I have a fairly good idea on who that would be' grunted Haakon who maintained an unimpressed tone. 'So why in the Ancestors name should I let you travel with the manling and I?' asked Haakon.

'I know this land well, dwarf' answered the giant 'I know who your enemies are and who may find common cause with you.'

'Is that right?' questioned the Thane with suspicion for he was well aware of the term, "The enemy of my enemy" yet in his experience, only a fool would truly believe that your enemy's enemy would be a friend. 'And what do you get out of this?' asked Haakon.

'My reasons are my own but let us just say that we share some common foes as well' replied the giant.

The Thane remained unconvinced by the giant's words but he could not fault the logic of it. These lands, the Bannorn were like Tilea, Aquitaine or the Empire where the local human populace constantly warred amongst one another. In his time travelling around the Old World, Haakon had learned a few important details to consider when journeying through such regions and the prospect of finding allies was something he could not pass up.

'Fine, you may travel with us for now' announced Haakon who then pointed the blazing head of _Zharr Zagaz_ to the giant and he heard the sound of thunder from the night sky above. 'But know that I will be watching you and if you so much as think of betraying the manling and I then we will finish what we started.'

'I would expect it no other way' nodded the giant and soon, a cold rain began to fall from the sky.

* * *

Feeling as if his head just been used as an anvil, Aedan Cousland groaned in pain as he tried to get himself up found that he couldn't for his hands were bound together and placed behind him Feeling a dull pain on the back of his head, he wouldn't have been surprised if there was now a lump over there.

'Ugh, sweet Andraste that hurts so much' said the Nobleman as he heard heavy footsteps coming towards and he looked up to see Haakon coming into the inn while accompanied by a giant warrior wearing a set of Red Steel Heavy Plate Armor and a frozen greatsword.

'Finally decided to get up manling?' questioned the Dwarf whose weapons were now looped around his belt.

'I would not have gotten my ass handed to me if you had not been sleeping!' answered back Aedan.

'Well excuse me manling for having to take my beauty sleep!' sarcastically replied Haakon who then placed his gauntleted hands over his dragon winged helmet and he lifted it up to reveal the grim, craggy features of the dwarf who had long red hair and a beard which were heavily braided with golden bands, discs with stylized bearded faces and exquisite gems which brightly shined like the peridot green eyes of the warrior.

Haakon then moved towards one of the nearby human corpses and he drew a sword from its sheate before going back to Aedan. The nobleman then felt the dwarf cutting his bonds and soon his hands came free. Aedan then got himself back up to his feet and he began to feel his wrists before checking on his wounds.

'My thanks' said the Nobleman to the dwarf as he then looked to the warrior. 'And who is this?' questioned Aedan as he cautiously looked to the tall warrior in Red Steel armor who lifted a Soldier's Heavy Helm from its head.

Much to Aedan's surprise, the warrior was a strange, exotic looking bronze skinned creature who had pointed ears, long white hair that was tied back into a bun and golden yellow eyes which were almond shaped. At a closer look, the nobleman quickly realized that this warrior was in fact female as well with strong, hoydenish features that were not entirely unappealing.

'I am Karsten' announced the red armored woman 'and I am here to offer you my blade for we now share a common cause...'

* * *

_The following morning…_

Seated at the back of a moving wagon that was filled with barrels of ale from Orzammar, Vanyra busily made several calculations within her mind while occasionally taking notes on her journal. Now dressed in her suit of chainmail armour which was worn over a newly laundered red tunic and her stone grey cloak was wrapped around her shoulders with the hood over her head. The Engineer's crossbow rested beside her along with her sword and wrench while one pistol was holstered by her hip.

The merchant caravan now moved on a little faster with the loads on their wagons lightened by the success of the previous day. Vanyra had taken the time to study the schematics for a rather genius and simple to make trap which like the landmines she employed, would also send out a hail of shrapnel to unsuspecting foes. The sheer abundance of metal shards and mechanical parts needed to make traps had given the Engineer many which to work with and at the moment, she was trying to figure out what would be the most economical method to attempt mass producing.

So far, she toyed with the idea of creating grenades by filling leather or cloth canvases with metal shards and blackpowder, then attaching a piece of dried cord which would act as the fuse. Another idea was to use simple glass flasks (of which were also rather abundant) filled with pitch and then stuffing it with a rag to make firebombs. The Engineer also toyed with the idea of finding a forge, make herself a regular but sturdy blunderbuss with the barrel reinforced in the interior and then stuff it with metal shards and blackpowder.

The last idea especially had some appeal to the Engineer who was confident that if she had been given time with a forge, she could smelt the small, sharp pieces of metal and reshape them into bullets for her guns. She also had found out that there are possible alternatives available which the caravan carried (for a price of course) such as some items such as Fire Crystals which when mixed with another object called a Corruptor Agent, created a rather explosive effect. Vanyra had also learned that when these same items were used and combined with a Concentrator Agent of which was made from herbs commonly found in this land, they would react and create a stable form fiery solution which could serve as a substitute for her Drakefire gun's fuel.

Ever since the incident with the Ogres and later those Darkspawn, Vanyra had been forced to use up a lot of her stores of blackpowder and other munitions and she had begun to fear that she may actually exhaust her supplies. The Engineer knew that her homecoming was now indefinitely postponed for Ancestors knew how long and she would really have to plan for the long term. It was fortunate that at the least, there were many alternative solutions for her immediate problems but as ever, it would be best to do some extensive testing first before considering if something was worth replicating.

As her mind wandered on the possibilities, she heard a voice call out to the rest of the caravan, saying that there was an inn ahead and that they would make a stop there. Oh good thought the Engineer who was working up a thirst from all the thinking as she placed her mechanical writing pen between the pages of her journal which she closed with a loud thump. While most adventurers would use their journals to record their personal thoughts or keep notes to themselves and others would updated it for the slightest of events, Vanyra herself mainly used it for when she needed to make mathematical equations.

After several minutes, the caravan eventually came to a halt in front of the inn where Vanyra gathered her things and hopped off of the wagon to see the establishment, which to her surprise was partially wrecked. Windows on the ground floor had been smashed with shards lying on the mud and piles of broken tables and chairs lay stacked near the front door which had also been broken down and leaving chunks of wood on the road.

'We're closed!' shouted a portly human who came out of the main doorway of the establishment.

'What happened over here?' came the voice of the merchant leader, Dulan Vegris who had been on the wagon in front of where Vanyra had travelled on.

'A damn brawl that's what' replied the human who was most likely the owner of the establishment.

'Do you at least have something for us to drink? We have the coin to pay' Dulan then said.

'We barely got any drink as well!' spoke innkeeper which caused a wave of shocked gasps from the merchants and their hired guards or help. 'Some other dwarf and his company of troublemakers had nearly drunk all of my stores last night!'

'Well you're just in luck then my friend because we happen to have several casks of fine dwarven brew! Straight from Orzammar' called the Lead Merchant.

'Oh thank the Maker!' announced the innkeeper with relief and Vanyra heard the wet sounds of boots walking towards the back of the wagon which she had just travelled in.

Leaving them to do their business, the Engineer decided to see what the Runesmith was up to and at the corner of her eye, she noticed a gleam of light which reflected the morning light. Glancing down, her eyes widened as she saw the telltale shine of gold and the Engineer was quick to reach for it with a gloved hand. At first she thought that she had found a gold coin which someone had dropped but immediately after picking it up, she knew that there was something off about it which seemed astonishingly familiar.

Trying to clean off some of the mud and grime which had matted the small golden discs, Vanyra's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in disbelief. What Vanyra had picked up was no gold coin but rather it was piece of decorative jewelry which unmistakably bore a _Dawi_ Ancestor face. Upon the surface of this particular golden disc which she had just found, was the the stylized face of Grimnir, God of Battle, Slayer of Daemons, Patron of the Slayer Cult and the Builder of the legendary Road of Skulls.


	8. Got

Twin doors carved from Yew and banded with Grey Iron were pushed open with a great groan of metal before Roland who then entered the room ahead. For generations, the White Hall, which was named for the exquisite pillars of Whitewood which lined up along the chambers, had served as the seat of power for his family within the Bannorn. A great hearth burned at the center of the chamber with several tables and chairs around it and near the end of the hall was the throne where the Bann awaited him.

'You summoned me, my lord?' called Roland who respectfully bowed to his father, Bann Beltane who was dressed in expensive clothing which was quite commonly worn among the nobility and he quietly feasted on a meal of duck and wine. The resemblance between the two of them was minor at best for he did not have his father's strong, patrician features and there were some who said that that Roland resembled more of his mother, a woman he barely knew about.

'I have' replied the old man who hardly registered Roland's presence and he raised up a goblet close to his lips. 'I simply wish to remind you of the importance of this task and what is at stake'.

'Of course my lord' dutifully replied Roland with a courtly bow. 'Find the Cousland boy and bring him back, dead or alive'.

'Excellent' quietly said the Bann as he took a sip of his wine and continued after setting the goblet down on the table. 'Succeed in this and our House will be greatly rewarded for the elimination of the traitors.'

'Such is the fate of those who conspire against the crown' bowed Roland who remembered the "official story" that was now being told across the Bannorn and the rest of Ferelden.

After the attack on Highever, word was being spread about how the Cousland family was plotting treason against the King in favor of the Orlesians. Words which had more than a little help getting about thanks to those under Bann Beltane and others who had much to gain when the Arl of Amaranthine officially became the new Teryn of Highever. Unfortunately, there were those who would not so easily believe such a story and if it was found out what really happened in Highever then there would be nothing that would stop King Cailan from delivering justice upon the Arl and his co-conspirators, especially those who had a direct helping hand in the attack.

Roland was certain that Arl Howe already had plans for the eldest of the Cousland scions who was now marching with a large contingent of soldiers towards Ostagar to join the muster but the younger was proving far more elusive. All their plots and ambitions would come crashing down if young Aedan Cousland could testify against them for it was heavily reliant on having no one to tell another story. Fortunately, Roland had contacts within the Bannorn who had been shadowing the young lord and his rather powerful companion who had unexpectedly slain many of Arl Howe's knights during the assault on Highever.

It was good thing that Bann Beltane and those other Banns working with Arl Howe had pooled their resources together and had called in their own favors from across the Bannorns to assist in their search. Despite this treacherous alliance, it was of great importance that Roland or those under Bann Beltane be the ones to personally deal with Cousland for in doing so, they would gain the lion's share of Arl How's favor. There was also something else, something of the utmost personal importance to Roland if he succeeded in this task for his father.

'And remember' added the Bann who then looked Roland in the eye and fixed him with a look of deep purpose. 'If you succeed in this, I will officially recognize you as my son, and you will become the heir of our House.'

'I would be deeply honored, father' bowed Roland who tried to hide the smile which spread across his lips.

* * *

'By Smednir's Hammer…' whispered Cranneg Kargunson in disbelief as he spoke the oath in _Khazalid_ while holding up the small golden Ancestor Icon which glinted under the morning sun.

'There was another _Dawi _here' said Vanyra as she too could hardly believe her find. The two dwarfs remained outside of the damaged inn where the caravan had stopped and several casks of ale were now being unloaded from one of the wagons.

'Looks to be of Kadrin craftsmanship' observed the Runesmith as he studied the small disc which bore the face of Grimnir, Ancestor God of battle.

'Could a Slayer have been here?' asked Vanyra for it was a common practice for members of the Grim Brotherhood to carry and wear many pieces of jewelry on them such as rings, bracelets, piercings, chains and the Engineer had once even heard of a Slayer who had replaced his teeth with ones made entirely out of Gromril.

'I would not rule out such a possibility' shrugged Cranneg who said the words with more than a bit of familiarity on the topic for among the many things which Slayers were notorious for was how they often drunk taverns out of business and started brawls which caused ludicrous amounts of property damage.

'We should ask the manling innkeeper' announced the Engineer and the Master Runesmith quietly nodded before following her to the front of the inn where a portly human man was haggling with a dwarf merchant. The human caught sight of both Vanyra and Cranneg and his eyes widened with suprise

'Hmph, more dwarfs' grumbled the innkeeper with thinly concealed disdain. 'The last one of you lot who was here caused a real mess of my inn! Destroyed most of my tables, two doors, the floor of a guestroom, left craters in the wall, killed more than a dozen sellswords and drank most of my stores!'

'Keep up that tone manling and you can add broken teeth to that list' coldly replied Cranneg who switched to the Common Tongue of this world and his Runestaff suddenly blazed with arcane fire which caused the colour to drain from the innkeepers face.

'I uhh well-' fearfully stammered the human as sweat began to bead upon his forehead and the merchant he had been haggling with had wisely chosen to remain silent.

'Enough manling' interjected Cranneg whose voice made it clear that he was not in a patient mood. 'I need you to describe this other dwarf who was here earlier.'

'He was tall' quickly replied the Innkeeper. 'Well, tall for a dwarf you see with plate armour like yours ser and he wore a helmet with dragon wings and scale armour covering the bottom;. Vanyra's eyes widened at this description and she looked to Cranneg who had a similar reaction to this information.

'What weapons did he carry manling?' demanded the Runesmith. 'Was it a burning axe and a hammer that was wreathed in lightning? Did he have a red beard that was decorated with golden jewelry?'

'Yes! Yes!' nervously replied the human and Cranneg gave the human a hard look before turning his gaze away and back to Vanyra.

'I can't believe it but Haakon Valnirsson has been here' quietly said the Runesmith who switched back to _Khazalid_.

'Are you sure?' replied Vanyra who had first met the Karak Kadrin Thane many years ago while studying Engineering in Zhufbar when her late brother, Thori had still been adventuring with Cranneg's warband. Their group had been in the area, returning from the Empire at the time and it was who wanted to pay her a visit.

'Sure as stone' confidently nodded the Runesmith who then looked to the small icon again.

'I still might be able to find their tracks and pick up a trail' announced the Engineer who then began to study the churned up muddy ground around them.

'What of that daemon we encountered on the road?' reminded the Runesmith.

'I know how to deal with them' answered the Engineer with a confident grin towards the other dwarf, patting a small leather pouch on the side of her belt which contained specialized rounds, courtesy of… a friend from the Order of Sigmar, the Witch Hunters of the Empire.

'You've traveled some strange roads child' commented Cranneg and the Engineer silently continued to survey the ground outside of the inn, ignoring the strange looks from the others of the merchant caravan and after some time, she finally found a heavy boot print that was just about the right size of a _Dawi_ warrior's boot. Carefully studying the print, she found two more sets following the dwarf ones, a pair of lighter tracks belonging to a human, most likely a male in light armour and the other one, she was not quite sure. A large being, in heavy armour by her guess, not like a Chaos Warrior to be sure, but definitely heavier than that of a human knight.

Following the tracks, Vanyra saw that they were heading down the road and travelling on foot with perhaps half a day ahead of them.

'I reckon you found something?' asked the Runesmith.

'Aye I have and I can see where they are heading' answered the Engineer.

'You would do your father and Thori proud' nodded Cranneg with a hint of sadness underneath his calm voice and Vanyra looked back to him. The Runesmith then reached for a small pouch attached to his belt and from it, he produced a matching pair of glowing runestone, the mystical symbols glowed brightly like diamonds under sunlight.

'Take one with you' Cranneg then said and Vanyra reached out for one of the imbued items. 'The glow of the runes will lessen as they get farther and they will brighten when they closer to one another.'

'And I can use it to find you again' stated the Engineer.

'Precisely' nodded the Runesmith.

'Right, I will grab a few things then I will be off' announced Vanyra.

'Ancestors willing child' replied Cranneg who then made the sign of Grungni.

'May his hall be ever open' finished the Engineer before preparing for the journey ahead.

* * *

The morning light of the sun blinded Aedan Cousland whose body felt as heavy as a sack of bricks and it was still so very sore from the beating he had taken from the previous night, even after imbibing a health poultice. His ears were assailed by a cacophony of noises, from birds chirping, insects buzzing, the clatter of plate armor from his companions and worst of all, the whistling, that infernal whistling! Almost all morning, Haakon had been whistling some wordless tune which on any other day would be far more tolerable to hear but this was not such a day for the hangover he sported made every moment which he lived, pure agony.

Currently, they were on the way to the lands of one Bann Berengar Ormond, a name Aedan knew of. Although Aedan had never met the Bann, his father had told both Fergus and he, stories about the rebellion against Orlais, of the battles fought under King Maric. During that time, his father had fought alongside many fellow noble lords and ladies against the Orlesians and that Bann Berengar had been a good friend and a proud man who had saved his life a few times and had returned the favor in kind.

A man like Berengar was exactly the sort of person Aedan needed to see for he was confident that with both the Sword and Shield of Highever, he could prove who he was and gain an audience with the Bann. Once that was done, he could procure aid and head south to the Korcari where hopefully, he could find his brother and King Cailan. The thought of getting justice for his family was what kept Aedan going, despite his bedraggled state.

'Come on manling, walk it off!' called Haakon who soon went back to his tune and the nobleman groaned, the idea of pulling out a knife and slitting his own throat suddenly seemed more appealing.

'What is that you are singing?' asked the warrior woman named Karsten who as of yet, had not revealed exactly why she needed their help and he shared Haakon's distrust. Both he and the dwarf had agreed to keep an eye on her but until then, they needed her to lead them to Bann Ormond's lands.

'Tis an old marching song I heard long ago' replied Haakon who still eyed their newest companion with some suspicion but had at the least adopted a more neutral and certainly less hostile demeanor.

'Are there lyrics to it?' asked again Karsten.

'Aye there are' nodded the dwarf.

'Give us a song then dwarf, we still have a long way to go' said the warrior woman.

Haakon then began to think for the moment as they continued their walk, the dwarf seemed deep in thought before finally, he nodded and began clearing his throat. He took the time to do some inhales and exhales exercises while also making some practice sounds with the tone of his voice. Karsten gave the dwarf a look which he guessed was a curious one.

'The song is in Khazalid' explained Haakon with a shrug, 'just trying to find the right words to translate it to your Common.' Giving the dwarf a few more moments, he then seemed to find whatever it was he sought amongst the Common Tongue which the Dwarf insisted was from a land called Albion and the song flowed forth, his deep voice was filled with both pride and strength.

_Let no warrior mine now refuse_

_To march out and claim his dues,_

_For now he's one of mine to pay_

_Under the Hills and far away._

_Under the Hills and o'er the moor,_

_To Azul, Gunbad and bright Ungor,_

_The king commands and we'll obey_

_Under the Hills and far away._

_I shall keep more happy tracks_

_With gleaming armour and shining axe_

_That cut and cleave both night and day_

_Under the hills and far away._

_Under the hills and o'er the moor,_

_To Azul, Gunbad and bright Ungor,_

_The King commands and we'll obey_

_Under the Hills and far away._

_Courage, lad, 'tis one to a tun,_

_But we'll stay the fight til it is done_

_All warriors bold on every day,_

_Under the Hills and far away._

_Under the hills and o'er the moor,_

_To Azul, Gunbad and bright Ungor,_

_The King commands and we'll obey_

_Under the Hills and far away._

'A fine song' commented Karsten.

'Bah, it sounds a lot better in _Khazalid _let me tell you' shrugged Haakon.

'Regardless, it was pleasant to hear and you have my applause' said the bronze skinned woman.

Despite being clad head to toe in heavy plate armor at the moment, Aedan had been able to get a good look at the woman the previous night. As far as races went, she definitely was neither dwarf nor elf; certainly no human for sure which left him wondering. It was at the tip of his mind, thought the nobleman who remembered his history lessons and the books he would read at his family's library.

He remembered reading about a major war fought in the north, between the Tevinter Imperium and other nations across Thedas against a race of giants from across the sea. Dark tales were abound of vile practices from the giants which he was sure this Karsten was a member of but he could not quite place his finger on the name of them. He had not yet told Haakon about it for he had been more concerned about the agonizing hangover which plagued him.

Another flash of pain coursed through his skull and Aedan bore with it while silently promising to never drink again (not that he actually would). Ah to hell with it, thought the nobleman who kept his mind on putting one foot ahead of the other. They still had a long journey ahead and Maker knew how long it would take for them to get to the lands of Bann Ormond.

* * *

Sweeping a dragonbone waraxe towards the face of Gorim, Sereda felt the hard impact as the blade of her weapon crashed against the surface of his shield. He then delivered a quick thrust of his longsword which Sereda deflected with a parry and she leapt back in time to avoid the swing of her Second's shield. Just as they often had, back in Orzammar, Sereda and Gorim sparred, honing their skills as warriors but after years of many such practices, both of them intimately knew the tactics and abilities of the other along with… other skill.

Sweat lathered the brow of the former princess, her armor had been divested and instead, she wore a simple tunic with its sleeves rolled up while Gorim was dressed similarly. The practice was both calming and familiar to the two of them, it helped both of them in knowing if their technique had been getting sloppy and so far, they both knew that they remained as good as they always had been with both remaining equally matched. Twin waraxes continued to clash with sword and shield, sparks flew as a look of concentration was etched on both of their faces.

'As good as ever my lady' commented Gorim with a slight smile.

'And to you as well' grinned Sereda who could see the rising desire in the eyes of her Second, a feeling that was quite mutual. With Gorim's longsword and shield style, he had both an effective defense as well as reach while the princess herself had speed and flexibility. Perhaps afterwards, they would hold a tiebreaker in private, to further test that reach and flexibility.

They sparred not far from the inn, across the muddy road and over the grassy ground. A small group of humans and other dwarves watched their performance, making bets and passing coin amongst one another. When word had been announced that the caravan was to take a rest at the inn, many had been quick to head inside and go for the drinks which they had just delivered and having earlier eyed a cask of Valentan Red which had been brought along with the rest of the goods from Orzammar, Sereda was inclined to join in later.

Continuing to strike, dodge, parry, block, feint and riposte, they carried on until both were satisfied with the day's exercise. When they had finished, they raised their weapons in salute to the gathered crowd, many of whom went back to the inn.

'Care to buy a drink my lady?' asked Gorim who breathed heavily as he sheathed his sword upon his back along with his shield.

'Gladly' replied Sereda with a smile while sheathing her own weapons If there was one upside to being exiled she thought, it was that she could spend more time with Gorim and even engage in some rather simple activities like going out for a drink at a tavern together. As they made their way to the inn, Sereda noticed the familiar, grey cloaked form of Vanyra passing through the crowd with crossbow slung over her right shoulder. Wondering what the Engineer was up to, Sereda called to _Dawi_ who then turned her gaze to the former princess and Gorim.

'Going somewhere?' asked Sereda who quickly noted the many other pieces of equipment which Vanyra carried on herself.

'Aye' nodded Vanyra who spoke in an accented but understandable Common. 'Cranneg and I believe that another of our kind has passed here, and I am going to follow his trail.'

'Another of you _Dawi_?' interjected Gorim who had been informed about the nature of two foreign dwarves.

'Do you need help?' offered Sereda who felt indebted to the Engineer for helping the former princess in finding her way back to her Second. 'Gorim and I can accompany you.'

'That will not be necessary' replied Vanyra. 'I will be travelling light and I can move faster on my own.'

'But the caravan will not stay here forever' added Sereda. 'How will you find your way back?'

'I have that covered' was the answer of the Engineer who then reached into a leather pouch on the side of her belt and she produced a small glowing runestone.

'I see' said the former princess who did not feel right about letting the _Dawi_ just head out on her own but she was forced to concede to the fact that Sereda herself was not particularly skilled in outdoorsmanship. 'Well good luck and may the Ancestors smile upon on you.'

'Don't worry about me' said the Engineer with nod and she then raised her right arm. Sereda then lifted her left arm and the two dwarves tightly grasped one another's forearm and the gesture was repeated with Gorim. Vanyra lifted the cowl of her cloak and she went off down the road, leaving the both Sereda and Gorim outside of the inn.

'Are you sure that we should let her off like that my lady?' asked Gorim.

'She will be fine' shrugged Sereda who had in the short time she had known Vanyra that the Engineer was more than capable of handling herself. 'How about that drink?' offered the former princess with a sly grin on her face.

'A sparring match like that always works up a thirst' replied her Second who knew rather well where their conversation had been going. 'We might need more than ale to quench it.'

'I am sure we can find something to do about that' answered Sereda who continued to grin.

* * *

Resting beneath the shade of a copse of elm trees, Aedan Cousland placed a gloved hand upon the bark of one tree, and he steadied himself as ragged breaths escaped his lips. The day's march had been long and hard, especially for the young nobleman who was still unused to travelling about the countryside, without a steed to carry him around. Looking to his heavily armored companions, both Karsten and Haakon seemed not even the least bit discomforted by their journey, not that he could tell of course because both of them were completely covered by their protective gear but both showed no signs of even slowing down.

'I believe your Charge is in need of respite' noted Karsten towards Haakon who then turned her helmeted head to the nobleman.

'What do you expect from manlings?' shrugged Haakon with a slightly mocking tone which annoyed Aedan who cursed himself for showing even slightest bit of weakness to his companions. The hangover which had plagued him was significantly more bearable now, the copious amounts of alcohol he had drunk last night was mostly out of his body but still he felt terrible.

'Let's just keep on going' said the nobleman who tried to put on a stoic façade.

'No, you are really out of it manling' replied Haakon rather patronizingly. 'Too much to drink does that you know?'

'You drank even way more than I did!' reminded Aedan with annoyance.

'Well I am a _Dawi_' shrugged the dwarf matter-of-factly. 'Not my fault that your gods, Maker or whatever decided to give you humans such weak guts.'

'Oh don't say anything about guts' groaned Aedan who had more than few nauseas bouts as they travelled and on multiple occasions, he had thought that he was just about ready to lose his last meal.

'Well, you need rest' spoke Haakon with finality who then went towards another nearby tree and he sat underneath the shade of it. Taking a seat as well, Aedan took a simple glass flask, the sort often used by herbalists and he removed the stopper. Taking a swig of the tepid water held within, he immediately felt refreshed as the clear liquid quenched his parched throat.

The foul stench of something burning was soon smelled by the nobleman who glanced to the side and to see what his companions were doing. Karsten had her greatsword placed over her lap while Haakon lifted up his burning axe close to his face, the fires surrounding the weapons ignited the end of a rolled up brown stick that was held between the dwarf's lips, his dragon-winged helmet rested next to him. A thick and heady smell surrounded the dwarf who visibly seemed to relax from the act of smoking.

'What is that?' asked Aedan who crinkled his nose and he did his best to avoid gagging at the smell.

'Tis a cigar, manling' explained the dwarf who blew out thick rings of smoke. 'I bought a case of these from a Tilean merchant back in Kadrin, fine imported tobaccos from the New World of Lustria these ones, and I can tell!'

The dwarf then offered the burning stick to the nobleman who politely declined and he then offered it to their newest companion of who had removed her own helmet and she accepted it. Both of the nobleman's companions began to smoke and the mood seemed to lighten among them. While the two others smoked, Aedan began to once again, brood over recent events, in his mind, he went over the events of what had transpired during the night of the attack on Highever, as it often did these past weeks…

_The smell of freshly spilled blood filled the nose of Aedan Cousland, covered in the gore of the two men who had come to murder him in his sleep, he glanced back over his shoulder and he saw the body of Iona. An arrow was embedded in the elven woman's throat and he knew all too well that there was nothing he could do for her now._

'_There he is! Get him!' shouted the voice of another armed man clad in leather armor. Instantly pushing away the horror of what had happened, Aedan allowed his warrior's instincts to kick in. He cut down one of his assailants with a well executed slash that tore out his attacker's throat and he bashed another down with his wooden shield. Connobar leapt and knocked another man over, the teeth of Mabari sank into the flesh of his victim's neck._

_It was then that for the first time, he saw his mother in full battle gear, wielding a bow with the skill and discipline of a professional soldier. They soon found the bodies of Oriana and Oren, followed by that of Lady Landra, the sight of it birthed a black rage in Aedan's heart. Death followed the nobleman as he fought alongside those soldiers of his House who had survived, along with his mother and faithful Mabari._

_At the main hall of their estate, it was there that they had met up with Ser Gilmore and Haakon, the bodies of men wearing the uniforms of Arl Howe's troops littered the stone floor. Gilmore had informed them that Lord Cousland had headed to the servant's entrance, in hopes that Aedan and the rest of the family had used the servant's entrance to escape. Haakon followed them to the kitchen and there, they found the patriarch of their House lying in a pool of his own blood, his rich clothes could not hide the terrible, crippling wound._

_They had tried to help Aedan's father up but the pain of the injury was too much and the young lord's mother refused to leave her dying husband's side._

'_Then we stay and fight!' announced the dwarf with a grim look in his eye._

'_Howe has an army outside of our walls' reminded Aedan's mother who looked at the dwarf as if he was mad._

'_We find a good chokepoint, funnel the manlings in and crush them like grobi!' explained the Haakon, his mind seemingly made up._

'_Please, whatever happens' wheezed the pained voice of Aedan's father through gritted teeth, his mother cradled her husband in her arms. 'Help my son get to safety; tell Fergus what has happened here!'_

'_You have my word, manling' nodded the dwarf with solemnity. 'Let it be known that a Dawi's Oath is one as strong as mountain stone.'_

_Haakon then rose up and headed out of the kitchen, his bloodied weapons held tightly in his grip._

'_Where are you going?' asked Aedan and the dwarf glanced back at him with a single look which sent a chill down the nobleman's spine._

'_I will kill every foe that tries to break in' coldly replied the dwarf without looking back._

_What followed was a night of more bloodshed and carnage. Howe's men had indeed broken through the gates and the few defenders left in service to the Couslands, fought to the last to defend their lord. Peasant-born infantry men wearing Howe uniforms and even fully fledged knights in heavy to massive armor stormed the gate which had been broken down by a battering ram, their numbers were far greater than anything which the defenders could hope to match… all except for the dwarf who stood in their midst._

_A deep, thunderous roar escaped the lips of Haakon who flung himself into the mass of Howe troops, fighting like the famed Berserkers of Orzammar or the Ash Warriors who had learned from the dwarves. Men were cut down like wheat before the fury of Haakon Valnirsson, swords, axes and bludgeons of mere iron or steel proved ineffective against the dwarf's enchanted plate armor. To the surprise of Aedan, they survived that first wave of attackers, leaving dozens of Howe's men dead at the main hall, then came the second wave of soldiers which fell upon them._

_Just as with the first group, the dwarf led the defense, limbs and heads went flying as skulls were broken by Haakon. Arming himself with the sword and shield of Highever, Aedan fought side by side with Ser Gilmore and the remaining guardsmen, Connobar fighting just as bravely as the rest. The young lord had lost count of how many men he had killed, his family's ancestral sword was soaked in blood and he continued to slay._

_The edge of the Cousland Family Sword cleaved the neck a young soldier, a youth barely old enough to shave, Aedan felt the hot spray of gore blossom like a geyser as his foe's head tumbled to the bloody floor, severed from the rest of the body. His blade was thrust into the gut of a lightly armored man and with a single kick, he freed the sword along with a spool of ropey entrails. Rage clouded the young lord's mind as his sword sent more souls to the Maker's side._

_During the fighting, his blade became stuck in the chest of one opponent and he opted to pick up a maul dropped by one of Howe's knights. With it, he cracked open heads and shattered bones, his rage further giving him strength. By the time they had finished with the third wave of attackers, it seemed that just maybe, they could actually beat back Howe's men but it was then that a strange charge filled the air._

'_Sorcery!' spat the blood smeared form of Haakon whose armor began to glow with an arcane light and in an instant, the air then exploded with elemental fury. Fire, Frost and Lightning began to fill the halls and the very stones around them seemed to violently shake. Brief shouts of terror and pain were heard from those men who had sought to protect Aedan, his eyes were blinded by a flash of light, followed by an intense heat and a heavy impact against his skull._

What had happened after the sorcerous attack was all a haze to the young lord who had been left disoriented and all he knew was what Haakon had told him. The dwarf claimed that he had dragged Aedan back to the kitchen where his father and mother had been and from there, they had taken the servant's entrance. By the time Aedan had regained his senses, they had already put quite some distance between themselves and Highever.

The memory of what had happened within Highever occupied his mind often and on many nights, it caused him to lose sleep. His loss fueled his guilt, driving him to drink and it filled him with self-loathing, anger and a desire for vengeance that could only be satisfied once Arl Rendon Howe was dead. Silently watching as his companions continued to recuperate; Aedan renewed his own personal oath.

Once he knew that his brother was safe, he would avenge their family and make sure that the Howes paid dearly for their treacherous crimes.

* * *

The thick smell of wet dog was heavy within the damp air of the kennels beneath the White Hall, and close to the dungeon wing. Mabari hounds barked excitedly within their cages, the loyal beasts knew that they would be let out for the coming hunt. Striding through the dark hall way between the many cages, Roland paid little heed to the other barking hounds which eyed him as he passed.

Not far ahead of him, a pack of Mabari was gathered around old man Haedrik, the Kennel Master who had for many years, faithfully served Bann Beltane. Assisting the Kennel Master was his daughter, Adeline who was one of the best archers in service to the Bann. The hounds obediently remained still as each awaited its turn to be given a fresh coating of Kaddis warpaint and fitted with War Harness Collars.

The Kennel Master was something not many people in the war ridden Bannorn lived to become, an actual old man for his hair which had once been a rich full mane had become fully bald within the last couple years and his bushy beard was of a deep shade of grey. His daughter on the other hand was

'Will the hounds be ready?' coolly asked Roland towards the Kennel Master.

'Eager to go out and stretch their legs milord' grinned the old man as he dipped a stained hand into a clay cup filled with Kaddis.

'You know that I am not a lord, not yet at least' wryly replied Roland with a tone of casual familiarity toward.

'You always were a lord to us' added Adeline with sly wink which her father thankfully did not catch.

'Well, I am sure that after this is over with, the Bann will reward us well' nodded Roland who then left the two to attend to the rest of the hounds.

Quickly leaving the kennels, he re-entered the halls of the Bann's estate and he made his way to the barracks. There were not many guards within the estate for most men would be out on the walls or patrolling the lands, ever watchful of the soldiers in service to the other Banns. Even in times such as this, with the King's call for a muster in the south, the fighting among the Banns would continue but on a smaller, more quiet scale.

The few guardsmen who did remain within the estate gave sharp salutes towards Roland who returned a casual nod to them while passing by. As he neared the barracks, the sound of metal scraping against could be heard and the doorway was left open and within, there remained only a single person. Seated at the edge of a sleeping cot and clad from head to toe in a burgundy colored set of Dragonbone Heavy Plates, an impressively tall and imposing fellow made his own preparations for the coming hunt.

A particularly deadly looking battle axe, also forged from Dragonbone was clenched between the right gauntleted hands of the mercenary warrior simply known as "The Bulwark". In the other gauntleted hand of the giant of a man was a well worn whetstone which sent of a light shower of sparks as it scraped against the edge of the axe blade. Three arcane runes were placed along the haft of that terrible weapon and further enhancing its already potent killing power.

For many years, the mercenary who called himself The Bulwark, had served Bann Beltane and in the numerous small wars which were so common within the Bannorn, the sellsword had attained a truly remarkable number of kills. None knew from where the man came from, save that he was from one of the nations north of Ferelden. Such details mattered little to Bann Beltane who employed The Bulwark as both the headsman when dealing with petty criminals and a champion in the events of trials by combat.

'Are we leaving?' gruffly asked the deep, muffled and restless voice of The Bulwark whose helmet was shaped to resemble the snarling face of a Mabari.

'Very soon' replied Roland in a relaxed manner for if there was anyone whom he could consider a friend, it was the big mercenary for there were certain… "interests" which the two shared, the sort which tended to involve visits to the dungeon, especially after battles with the other Banns. The Bulwark nodded and went back to sharpening his axe, no doubt eager to get back out there. 'You know who we will be going after, don't you?' asked Roland after a few more moments of silence.

'Does it matter?' answered The Bulwark who continued to run the whetstone across the axe blade. 'As long as I get to use my axe and get paid, I don't need to ask questions.'

'Ah the life of mercenary must be such a simple thing' mused Roland with a slight smile.

'Has its ups and downs' replied the sellsword without looking back and Roland nodded, satisfied that the rest of their party would be prepared for the coming hunt. Leaving the mercenary to his own thoughts, Roland stepped out of the barracks, eager to ride out once more and to feel the wind at his back.

There were many places in the Bannorn where the runaway Cousland could run, lords and ladies who would grant refuge to a scion of Highever. Identities of lords and ladies who were all known to Bann Beltane and the other nobles associated with the Howes. Yet, there was much ground to cover for the Bannorn was a large realm and even if the stray Cousland and his companion were travelling on foot, there were many places where one could hide.

Ultimately though, the young lord's destination would be Ostagar for that was where the elder brother would be headed. If all else failed in the pursuit of the younger then they could seek out and eliminate both at once, two birds with one stone as some would say. In the end, Roland was confident that the days of the Couslands were number and that when the time came, the Howes would grow to become one of the ruling families of Ferelden and that the House of Beltane would share in that glory.

The House that was to be his, as was his birthright.

* * *

A light fug of smoked tobacco wafted around the head of Haakon as he took one last puff from his Tilean imported cigar before dropping the stick of dried leaves. Slowly getting back up to his feet, he crushed the last burning embers beneath his gromril boots before putting his helmet back on. Giving a slight nod towards bronze skinned woman who offered to guide them through these lands, he then turned his gaze towards Aedan and spoke.

'Enough rest manling, time to get going!' said the Thane.

'Right' replied the human through gritted as he used his hammer to help himself up.

Setting off from beneath the shade of the trees, the party of three continued down the roiad and the giant lead them ever onwards. For hours they travelled beneath the bright sun and open sky, the weather was at least pleasant and it made their journey far more tolerable. Few words passed among them, save for the incessant questions asked by the manling who was just as unfamiliar with the region as Haakon was.

'So how do you know Bann Ormond?' questioned the Aedan towards their guide.

'A recent and profitable employment' answered the muffled voice Karsten who glanced back at the manling. 'I am sure you are well aware of the fighting that often erupts within these lands'.

'And are you currently in the Bann's service?' asked the manling again.

'I am between jobs at the moment' replied the armored giant. 'I keep my contracts simple, my tenures short and my loyalty until I am paid'.

'Sounds simple enough' nodded the manling while Haakon on the other hand, softly snorted in disdain for the Thane was not one to trust those of such fickle allegiance. There had been many a time in the past, such as in the lawless Border Princes, the Republics of Tilea and even once in cursed City of the Damned that Haakon had felt the bitter taste of betrayal from supposed allies. Sufficed to say, the Thane had as much trust for a sellsword as he would for an elf.

'Becoming too involved often leads to an early grave for one of my proffession' Karsten then said.

'And what of the manling and I?' asked Haakon in a neutral tone, a tinge of suspicion could also be heard in his voice. 'Are you seeking some sort of reward for bringing us in?'.

'Of course I am' replied the giant rather casually. 'I know the Bann well enough that he would be quite pleased in finding the ones who have been causing so much trouble for his rivals'.

'And who exactly are after us?' asked Aedan. 'Aside from the Howes that is.'

'Mostly other Banns who have much to gain by being in the good graces of the Arl of Amaranthine.'

A thoughtful look then came over the manling and after a short moment, an expression of sudden realization dawned upon his face.

'Maker's Breath' hissed Aedan. 'The Howes have had previous claim to Highever and now with us out of the way, that bastard Rendon can now add it to his domain'.

'I take it there is more to it manling' said Haakon who genuinely found human politics to be a tiresome affair, especially when it came to dealing with such short lived beings.

'Amaranthine is one of, if not the most important port city in all Fereldan' explained Aedan. 'With Highever under the Howes, almost all of the north will be under his domain and the king would have to make him a Teryn!'

'Sounds like a high rank' gruffly commented Haakon who had never understood why humans needed to use so many different names for their nobility.

'It is' explained Aedan. 'There are only two Terynirs in the country, we Couslands are one and other belongs to Loghain Mac Tir of Gwarain who is also the father of the Queen.'

'So it is a power play then? questioned the Thane.

'It might be more than that' said the manling who now seemed more perturbed. 'I don't know what Howe is planning but to pull this off, while the muster in the south is happening?' It was then that another look came upon the face. 'Do you think Arl Howe had help in all of this?'

'Are we not already aware that there are Banns working with Howe?' reminded Karsten.

'No I mean do you think there is another lord, someone above a Bann who plotted this with Howe' replied Aedan.

'Who then manling?' asked Haakon who was less than thrilled about the possibility of an even more powerful lordling who may have it out for them.

'I don't know' conceded the human. 'This is all just speculation and a baseless one at that'.

'Tis something to worry about' grunted Haakon who remembered the chaotic times when the Empire had been divided for centuries by civil war, when three claimants sought the Throne and Hammer left behind by Sigmar.

'Yet it makes no changes to your situation' added Karsten. 'You will need allies in the coming days and it seems that one of my regular clients may be your best chance at both survival and vengeance'.

'Now that is something I can get behind' announced Haakon. 'After we find Fergus and make sure he is all right, we hunt this Howe manling and his allies and we settle it with grudgement.'

'And I will personally be there to put Howe's head on pike' grimly replied Aedan. There was determined look on the humans' face, a gleam in the eye which Haakon was pleased to see. It was the same look of a grudge being proclaimed, the sort which mobilized a hold into forging a mighty throng.

If there was anything more sacred to the _Dawi _than honour or wealth then it was a grudge and the act of settling one. And sweetest of grudges were those that could be settled with blood and axe.

* * *

Soft clicks followed the steps of Vanyra as she finished working on a new weapon. Having recently studied the schematics of a simple trap which could send out a deadly hail of shrapnel when stepped on, the engineer endeavored to create something better suited for her tastes. Filling a simple clay disc with metal fragments and carefully placing some other mechanical components such as springs within, the dwarf was confident that it would serve as an effective but temporary replacement for Cinderblast Bombs.

Hoping to give a test soon, the Engineer carefully placed the deadly device into her bandolier and she started the process again with another. The Thane's trail was still fresh, there had been very little traffic through these roads and so far, the only other travelers she had seen was a human farmer and his son, driving an ox cart filled with freshly harvested produce. Paying little heed to the manlings, she carried onwards intent on catching up with the other _Dawi _and his companions.

Eventually coming to a fork on the road, she took a moment to survey the paths ahead. A signpost with four arrows three pointing to the other roads and one back the way she came. Observing the trail of the Thane's party, she quickly determined which path to take.

It was then that Vanyra heard the distant clatter of armoured plates and looking towards one of the paths, she found what was making such noise. Four fully armoured human knights mounted on mighty destriers. The sight of them brought forth recent memories of her travels in the lands of the Empire and Bretonnia.

Fondly remembering those she had travelled with in her journeys, Vanyra especially recalled the two Bretonnians who had been with them since that fateful night in Altdorf. In many ways, the Imperial Capital had been the true beginning of her adventures for it had been the place where many plots had been set in motion. So much had happened in their many quests that undoubtedly, a bond of fellowship had been forged among their odd group, even if it did include flighty elves.

Shaking away the recollection of her travels, she then set herself back to her current task. As the Engineer was about to take a step towards the path taken by the Thane, she wad halted by a voice that called out from the travelling band of humans.

'Ho there traveller!' hollered one knight whose voice was muffled by his helmet and he wave his right hand towards he, which the dwarf mirrored.

The knights drew closer to the dwarf who was confident that these manlings were not looking for a fight and soon she was able to get a better look at their equipment. Unlike the knights of the Empire or Bretonnia who often adorned their helmets with feathers, wings, horns or wore articles of clothing such as tabards or surcoats, these humans seemed rather plainly dressed. Riding upon powerful looking destriers which were barded with steel plates, each of the knights wore cloth kilts which concealed their legs and upon their breastplates were heraldries depicting a flaming sword.

'Have you seen any inns or towns nearby?' asked the knight who had earlier spoken and the human did not even deign to remove his helmet.

'That way' replied Vanyra who pointed her right thumb over the shoulder and towards the path she had just taken.

'Maker's blessing to you' thanked the Knight and his companions offered slight nods before riding off.

Leaving the humans be, Vanyra then went back to her search for the Thane.

* * *

Looking over the horizon, Ser Alexian of Gwarain simply saw more of the open lands which made up much of the Bannorn. Having spent more than a week out on the open roads, the party of Templars were looking forward to spending the night with a roof over their heads. The idea of also being able to have hot and fresh food along with ale instead of hard biscuits and nearly frozen water was equally heartening to them all.

Having set off from Kinloch Hold, the Templars were tasked with searching for a Maleficar, a blood mage who had recently escaped. The search for the Apostate had been especially difficult as they had no Phylactery which they could use to track their target.

Alexian could still hardly believe the circumstances behind the escape. Two accomplices, a freshly harrowed mage and more suprisingly a lay sister of the Chantry, had been complicit in the incident. Both had already been arrested and were well on their way to Aonar but of the Maleficar himself, they had not found any trace and Templars feared that the trail may have long gone cold already.

Having faith in the Maker that they would soon find at least some evidence of the renegade's passing, the Templars rode onward, hoping to find the inn and take the time to rest themselves and their steed. They doubted there would be any encounters with Apostates or rogue magicians this day.

* * *

Belching in satisfaction, Cranneg Kargunnson set down his emptied tankard of ale upon the wooden surface of the bar, a feeling of warmth spread within his gut. Several newly wrought runestones lay in front of him, each one inert until placed within a proper object. Hardly satisfied with his own work, the Master Runesmith was displeased at the weakness of these runes.

Contemplating on his own runic knowledge and reviewing the many theorems which he had committed to memory since his days as a beardling, the Runesmith mentally made several calculations, devising ways to create newer and more powerful runes.

It was all the sort of work which made any runesmith thirsty and there was nothing better than good old ale to clear the mind and help one think. Calling for another drink, the dwarf order was acknowledged by the innkeeper who still casted a nervous look towards him. Having already decided on avoiding the food lest he also get a side order of manling spit, the runesmith made sure to keep a watchful eye as his drink was poured from the tap.

In his thoughts, he remained somewhat worried about the young Engineer but in his heart, he knew that his fears were misplaced. He had seen it in the eyes of the _rinn _that she was serious about going after the Thane alone and the determination he saw was the very same which could be found within great champions such his liege, King Kazador. A sense of surety and purpose was carried by the girl, the sort which inspired courage in beardling warriors and pride among the most venerable of Old Guard.

It was a look which Thori Skorrison had once possessed, he thought somewhat sadly for the beardling had been a damn fine Ranger, worthy of Bugman's lads. He had no doubt that there was more to what the young Engineer had told the Runesmith of her journeys, quite possibly, it was the kind of thing worth of a saga. Until the _rinn_ returned, he would maintain his faith in the Engineer's own skills.

When his next order finally came, Cranneg cautiously inspected his drink before handing a few copper coins to the innkeeper. Well, back to rune work thought the dwarf as he drained another mug and concocting more arcane formulas in his head.

* * *

**Author's Note: The song part is from the novel Grudge Bearer by Gav Thorpe**


End file.
